Through Her
by modaprincesa
Summary: He has a task, the consequences for not completing it would be deadly. He needs something, but the only way to get it is through her. What happens when he realizes that what he gets out is not what he expected? DMHG Pre-HBP
1. His Task

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot. End of story.

Chapter 1: His Task

It was the last day of summer vacation as Draco Malfoy reached over to his bedside table to check the time. 11:30; it was still early. He was rolling back over to go back to sleep when his door slammed open, revealing a very angry looking Lucius Malfoy.

"What is it, father?" Draco asked in a monotonous tone. He didn't much like his father, but he had been brought up knowing that crossing him would be a very dangerous idea.

"Draco I expected you to be awake and dressed by the time I got home, I told you before I left last night that we had a very important situation to discuss this morning," Lucius sneered.

_Sorry I couldn't be up by the time you got back from whichever _whore_ you were out with last night father, but I was here with mother for a good amount of time while she cried her eyes out _again_ because of you,_ Draco thought to himself before answering Lucius.

"I'm sorry father, if you'll wait in the lounge, I will be down in twenty minutes," Draco told him sitting up and stretching.

"Fifteen minutes or you'll regret it _Draco_," his father gave him one last glare and slammed his door again.

Draco looked around his room, which was about the size of a small house. Everything was green with silver outlining, and everything was perfectly placed. He threw his covers off and walked to his bathroom. As he turned on the light, it glimmered off the marble sink and bath tub. He threw off his clothes and hopped in the shower. He let the hot water take him away for a few minutes while his mind wandered back to the night before.

After he had tended to his mother, leading her to her room, which oddly, wasn't his father's room, making sure she got into bed and telling her he would be back later that night, he had left her room, turning out the lights, and gone over to his best friend, Blaise Zabini's house. Blaise's parents were in Paris visiting relatives for the week so they had been able to so whatever they wanted. He couldn't remember much, due to his friend, Mr. Firewhiskey, but all that mattered was that for a little while, he had forgotten about how much he hated his father.

He turned off the water and dried off with his emerald green towel with his initials _DM _embroidered on it. He threw on a pair of muggle jeans and a black t-shirt and glanced in the mirror, smiling at the handsome reflection looking back at him.

He messed up his hair a bit and grabbed his wand off the dresser. He opened the door and turned back around to look at his room, everything was just so neat and organized that he almost wanted to send a tornado through it, just to see what his father would say. He smirked at the thought while turning off the light and closing the door.

As he came downstairs and walked into the lounge, one of his house elves, (Mindy, he thought her name was, but then again how should he know, she was only a house elf), walked up to him and asked him if she could get him anything.

"No, thanks," he waved her off and continued to the nearest chair, sitting down.

"Stand up Draco, do not look so relaxed in my presence after you have made me wait here for you for fifteen minutes," Lucius told him as he stood over by the fireplace.

Draco stood up and addressed Lucius, "My deepest apologies, father. What is it I can do for you?" he asked in a strained voice. It was hard for him to act like his father was superior to him, when all Draco knew him as was a coward, a follower, a lowly _Death Eater_. But of course, he could never tell him that, nor could he act like that's the way his mind worked. He was forced to stand there and adhere to his father's every wish.

"Let's cut the small talk Draco, I have a bit of a surprise for you, an _honor_, if you will," he turned and looked Draco in the eye. Lucius had always had his suspicions on where Draco's loyalties lie, but the Dark Lord had always had such high expectations for him.

"Draco, the Dark Lord has a task for you," Lucius said these words with pride. He knew the Dark Lord always thought great things would come of Draco, and now Draco could carry on the Malfoy name on the high end of the Dark Lord's ring of Death Eaters.

Draco was mildly surprised. It was only his sixth year and he had not even gotten his Dark Mark yet. Yes, he knew it was coming sooner or later, but he hated thinking that it would come this soon, in fact he hated the whole idea of it, but there was no other choice for him, this is the life that had been chosen for him since his birth.

"I am honored father," Draco said, looking Lucius in the eye, "Just tell me what it is I can do."

"He needs you to get close to Harry Potter, to gain his trust," Lucius started. Draco opened his mouth to object but Lucius cut him off, "Now I know this won't be east seeing how you and Mr. Potter don't get along. But don't worry, we have everything figured out. The first thing you need to worry about is gaining the trust of his Mudblood friend, Ms. Granger, and my suggestion for that is to _woo_ her. You have a way with the ladies Draco, use it to your advantage."

Draco bit back his next comment and replied, "Yes father, I will try, but it will prove to be quite a challenge for me to put on this act, especially since she is a Mudblood."

"I'm glad I brought you up to see it that way, but we have faith in you, don't let the Dark Lord down. The consequences to that may prove to be, _deadly_."

Lucius left Draco in the lounge and headed for the kitchen. At the entrance, he turned back around, "Oh and Draco, you have until Halloween to gain the trust of Ms. Granger. Good luck son, make me proud," he gave Draco one last smirk and exited the room.

Draco dropped down into one of the chairs and closed his eyes, _this was going to be one hell of a year, _he sighed wearily.

As Draco walked through the barrier to platform nine and three quarters, he spotted Blaise. On his way over to him, he noticed Granger standing with the rest of the Golden Trio. She turned around and looked at him, _Wow she's changed_, he thought to himself.

Her bushy brown hair was still bushy, but now tamer and long, her body looked great, (as he could see since she was wearing a pair of jeans and a white t-shirt, leaving no doubt in Draco's mind that she had been working out that summer), and her brown eyes momentarily paralyzed him as they bore into his.

_Maybe this won't be so bad after all,_ he thought and smirked at her.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed the first chapter :]


	2. Beginning of Term

Chapter 2: Beginning of Term

As soon as it had come, it was gone. Draco turned back to where Blaise was standing calling for him to come over.

_Did Draco Malfoy just _smirk_ at me?_ Hermione thought. _Ugh that intolerable Git, I bet he has some trick planned, well I'm simply not going to give in to his games this year. If I ignore him, he'll go away. _She paused for a second, taking another look at him, _But I must say, he doesn't look too bad._ She almost hit herself on the forehead at that last thought, _Hermione Granger where is your head_! She turned back to Harry and Ron who were engrossed in a conversation about the Chudley Cannons.

As the time got closer to departure, they boarded the Hogwarts Express and found Ginny saving them a compartment.

Harry walked in and sat down next to Ginny, putting his arm around her. They had been dating for the past couple of months. Everyone had always known Ginny wanted to be with Harry, but the feelings had not been completely returned until after Sirius' death, when Ginny had been the only person that seemed to make Harry genuinely happy while he coped with the tragic events of that night at the Ministry.

"So Hermione, how was your summer after you left the Burrow?" Ron asked, sitting down next to her.

"Oh it was fine, Ron, nothing too exciting," She'd had a crush on Ron for quite some time now, but since they were best friends, it always just seemed… off limits. Although Ginny being Ron's little sister, hadn't stopped Harry from dating her, that was different. Ron was actually pleased about the relationship; at least he could trust Harry. "What did you boys do after I left?" she asked.

"Oh a bit of Quidditch, went down to Diagon Alley, hung out around the burrow. Nothing unusual," Harry said smiling at her. He knew she had a crush on Ron, and he also knew Ron had a crush on her.

They were making small talk, discussing the summer's events when their compartment door opened. Standing there was none other than Draco Malfoy and his cronies, Crabbe and Goyle.

"What do you want, _Malfoy_?"Ron spat out.

"Oh, I just came to say hello, Weasel, but I guess you don't learn manners very well, being so poor and all," he smirked at Ron while Crabbe and Goyle laughed stupidly.

"You can leave now Malfoy, we clearly don't want you in here," Hermione said glaring at him.

"Very well then, enjoy your ride," he said sarcastically, winking at Hermione and walking out, shutting the door behind him. No one other than Hermione had apparently noticed the wink, but she was furious.

Besides the unusual butterflies in her stomach, she couldn't even be sure if it had happened or not. They all sat back down, took a minute for a deep breath and to forget about Malfoy's intrusion, and rode the rest of the way laughing and joking as usual.

Draco chuckled to himself as he returned to his compartment with Blaise as Crabbe and Goyle followed,_ if nothing else, this was at least going to be amusing._ He had noticed Hermione blush a bit when he had winked at her, though none of her dense friends had noticed.

The first few days at Hogwarts had been hectic. There were new students, NEWTs classes, and lots of talk of summer vacations.

Hermione couldn't believe how much some people had changed over the summer. She had always known Lavender and Parvati to be gossip queens and, well, preppy, but in the few weeks they'd been back she didn't remember ever seeing them wearing anything other than mini skirts, besides when they were forced to wear their robes.

As Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room on a nice Sunday afternoon with Harry and Ron doing their potions essay, (which she had finished three days ago, the day it was assigned), she frowned looking over at her two roommates, Lavender and Parvati, who were surrounded by more than a few of the older, seventh year, boys.

They were definitely not the only ones who had changed, but had she changed too? After she had thrown the question around in her head for a few minutes, she decided to get some male feedback.

"Harry, Ron, do you think I've changed since the end of last year?"

Harry looked up from his paper at her, "Well, when did you finish your potions essay?" he asked slyly, twirling his quill in his hand.

"On Thursday, when it was assigned, as you two should have done instead of waiting until the last minute!" she answered.

Harry smirked, "No, Hermione, I don't think you've changed very much."

Ron smirked too at the comment and nodded his head.

"Well, I don't just mean it that way, I mean, do I look different to you?" She asked.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, if there were words for the look they gave each other, it would have been: _Oh no, another one of those 'girl talk' things that we just don't know how to answer without saying the wrong thing._

"Well Hermione, we've always thought you looked just fine the way you are," Ron said cautiously, as if he wasn't sure if that was what he was supposed to say. Hermione furrowed her brow at him, contemplating his answer.

"What he really means is that you look great this year, but we've always thought you looked fine before too," Harry said, noticing Ron's ears redden.

"Hmm, so I have changed some, well, I guess everyone does though," Hermione said, thinking out loud.

"Hermione is there something you want to talk about? You seem distracted," Harry looked at her worriedly.

"No Harry," She smiled, "Everything's just fine." She went back to the book she had been reading as Harry and Ron exchanged confused looks.

_Girls,_ they thought.

As she sat there looking at her book, her mind went elsewhere. Draco Malfoy had been paying an awful lot of attention to her. He would smirk at her whenever he saw her, though they were less malicious than she remembered them to be, he had even attempted starting a conversation with her once, but all that really got up to was, "_Well hey Granger, how's it going,"_ with his cute, no, not cute, just normal and annoying, smirk, but all she had had time to do was give him a quizzical look before Harry and Ron had stepped in, glaring at Malfoy and leading her away.

He wasn't throwing very many mean comments her way either, and she couldn't even think of a time yet this year when he'd called her a Mudblood. She thought that maybe it could have been because she'd changed over the summer, maybe he thought she looked better. But even with that, she didn't understand his unexplainable behavior towards her. As a matter of fact, she didn't even remember him saying anything mean or hurtful or Harry either, There were a few unnecessary poor jokes at Ron, but even those were few and far between.

_Maybe he's changed_, she thought, a small smile tugging at her lips, _Whoa,_ _what am I doing sitting here thinking about Malfoy, what do I care what he thinks anyways, Malfoys don't change,_ She thought to herself snapping back to reality.

She looked over at Ron, _he looks so cute when he's confused_, she smiled at the thought somewhat halfheartedly since her mind was still absently wandering in dangerous territory. Shaking her head trying to clear it, she re-concentrated on her book.

"I've been trying, I really have," Draco started, "It's just that none of it's working. I figured that if I just put on my charm, she'd come to me, but apparently that's not working."

Draco had told Blaise all about his task from the Dark Lord since he was sure Blaise would hear it from his father anyways; their parents were very close to each other, and very high up in the ranks of Death Eaters.

Blaise smirked at him, sitting up on his elbows still holding the ball he'd been throwing around. "Drake, ya know, not all girls want you, maybe the vast majority, but not all. Sometimes you have to do some work too," he said, chuckling.

Draco smirked back at him, "Well, Blaise, I would take that advice to heart if I thought that she wasn't one of them, I saw that look on the train, when I winked at her, trust me, she wants me."

"Draco, listen to me, it's been three weeks already, tell me, how many times has she come up to you, talked to you, simply paid you any attention without you, yourself, making it that way?" Blaise asked him.

Draco scowled and thought honestly to himself, _zero._

"Alright Blaise, you win this one," Draco said, looking back at Blaise, "I guess we'll just have to come up with a plan." He smirked again, he and Blaise had always been Grade A when it came to tricks, pranks and devious plans.

"Now that, my friend, is what I wanted to hear." Blaise got up and walked over to Draco, resting a hand on Draco's shoulder and putting a smug smirk on his face, "As a matter of fact, I've already got something in mind."


	3. The Plan

Chapter 3: The Plan

It was set and ready. They had gone over it a million times. It was _flawless_. Of course, that's how it always was.

"Okay Draco, you're sure you remember everything?" Blaise asked.

"Blaise, we've been getting ready and rehearsing this for a week now, believe me, I know what to do," Draco told him, grabbing his cloak.

"Alright, it's almost curfew, positions?" Blaise suggested.

"Positions," Draco confirmed. "Remember, the code word for my entrance is 'time,' and please Blaise, don't slip up by accidently using it in a random sentence."

"Ouch, Drake, that hurts," Blaise threw his hand over his heart, "This was my plan, with a few additions by you, but mostly mine, so in other words, it's idiot proof," he turned around to walk to his position, but added over his shoulder, "Remember, wait _ten_ seconds, no longer, no less!" with that he turned the corner. Draco shook his head and headed to his position.

Hermione glanced at the clock, _Damnit,_ she thought, _I guess I didn't notice how late it was getting._ She gathered up her books and exited the library.

_CRASH!_

"_Whoa_!" she exclaimed as someone ran into her, sending her books all over the floor. She looked over at the culprit.

"Whoops, sorry Granger, guess I didn't see you there," Blaise said, picking up some of her books while she grabbed the others.

"Don't worry about it," she said. _Even _other_ Slytherins were being tolerable?_

"Alright, well I've got to get going, I was just worried about the _time_," he said, running off towards the dungeons.

Hermione looked after him for a second before gathering herself together again and heading towards Gryffindor tower.

About ten seconds, (literally), later, she saw someone stumble out of a corridor, practically running into another wall, groaning and holding his stomach. As they leaned on the door of an empty classroom, it was apparently already slightly open because they fell in, crashing to the floor and groaning again.

_Oh my gosh!_ Hermione thought rushing over to them. By the time she got there the person was lying, head in their arms just inside the room. She entered quietly and shut the door, she didn't want to be caught out of bed since she was sure it must be a few minutes past curfew by now.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" She asked, taking a cautious step towards the person.

_Bingo_, Draco thought, smirking into his arms, but quickly going back to the act that had been preplanned out by him and Blaise.

He groaned again, flipping over and looking at her.

_Malfoy? _Hermione thought, _I wonder what happened to him._ She took another cautious step towards him while his eyes never left her.

"Malfoy, what happened?" she asked, bending down to get a better look at him. The only light in the room was a few lit lanterns hanging on the walls.

"Granger... is that you?" he asked.

"Yes, it is, don't freak out Malfoy, I saw you fall into here and I just wanted to make sure you're okay, you looked like you were in pretty bad shape," she said, examining him. He didn't look too bad, besides the fact that his eyes looked slightly out of focus and glossy and as she got closer she noticed a hint of alcohol on his breath; his clothes were ruffled too.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm fine," he said, turning back over.

"You're not fine, Malfoy, tell me what happened." Hermione said, putting a hand on his shoulder to try to turn him to face her again, he smirked at this, _it's working like a charm_, he thought.

"Well if you really want to know, I may have gotten into an argument with someone and decided I didn't want to think about it anymore, is that a crime?" he said matter-of-factly, and a bit slurred.

"Malfoy, I have a feeling you've been drinking, come over here," she said, helping him up and directing him to a chair. She got him a cup of water and walked back over to him. "If you don't mind me asking, what made you so angry?" She asked, pretty sure he would just laugh at her, but to her surprise, he didn't.

"Well, that's a bit of a bold question don't you think?" he started, but before giving her a chance to answer, he continued, "I got into a bit of an argument with my father. He's not the greatest person you know." Draco knew that his father was disliked, and he wasn't exactly lying by using this excuse anyways. He also had high hopes that this might just be the way to help him gain her trust. "We just have different views... about practically everything."

Hermione sat there listening to him, afraid to interrupt in case he snapped back to reality and realized what he was telling her.

"Well, let's just say he wants me to do something that I just don't want to do, the argument got pretty heated, so I just wanted to forget about it, you can understand that, right?" he finished, looking at her. Again, he wasn't really lying, he really didn't agree with his father on anything. _Funny, _he thought_, I imagined this would be harder than it is._

"You know, Malfoy, maybe there's more to you than people think," she said, looking into his deep silver eyes. Those eyes were usually closed off and guarded, but right now they looked honest and pleading.

Draco didn't even notice that she was studying him, nor did he realize that he had let down his guard and was being sincere. Of course, he just kept telling himself that it was all for show, just to complete the task, sure he knew that most of what he was saying was true, but he was obviously just saying it because that's what he'd rehearsed, not because he felt he needed to tell someone the truth, and definitely not because he actually felt comfortable telling her this, _no, it was all for show._

"Well, it's about time someone noticed that," he said, smirking.

She almost laughed, but then remembered who it was she was talking to and held it back, giving a crooked smile instead.

"Maybe we should get together some other time, talk about things, I'd like to be able to get stuff off my mind. None of the Slytherins really listen to me, all too scared I suppose," Draco said, hoping she'd bite the bait he'd set for her.

"Look Malfoy, it's nice to know that there's another side to you, but you've been drinking. I think it's best if we just leave it at that," she grabbed him another cup of water, "Get some rest," she said. With that, she opened the door and left.

_Shit!_ Draco thought. He punched the table in front of him and put his head in his hands. Maybe acting drunk wasn't the best way to go, maybe he should have tried something else. She was a Gryffindor, she was supposed to care about everyone, obviously she had cared enough to stay with him for a little while, but she was also very conservative, he should have known she'd be put off by the drinking. Oh well, they'd have to come up with something else.

He was still upset though, he couldn't even remember the last time a plan he and Blaise had come up with hadn't worked out perfectly. _Back to the drawing board_, he thought, getting up and heading towards the dungeons. In all actuality he'd only had a shot of Firewhiskey to get the smell on his breath so Hermione would buy it.

_What just happened?_ Hermione thought as she made her way up to Gryffindor tower. She had not really just had a conversation, a real, civil, conversation, with Draco Malfoy! Obviously there was a side to him that no one saw, but it was a lot for her to process, all she'd ever known him as was a heartless git. She really had felt bad for him when he told her his predicament, it must be hard living with someone you don't agree with on anything. The hardest part for her to accept was that she had actually cared, truly cared, and that scared her.

- - - - - - - - - -

A/N: Review please :)


	4. The Fight

Chapter 4: The fight

Over the next couple of weeks Hermione had noticed a bit of a difference in Malfoy. She would be sitting in class and feel someone looking at her only to look back and see him look away, or be walking through the halls and have him look right into her eyes. At meals she would catch him looking at her once in a while, too. Each time, he would have the same pleading look in his eyes, like he wanted to catch her attention. But as soon as he did, he would look away.

He needed to figure something out and fast. It was already the beginning of October and he hadn't even talked to her since his original plan had backfired. He and Blaise had been working on a new plan, but every one they came up with seemed to have little kinks and flaws and were discarded. He would catch himself studying her in classes, or in the halls, or at meals trying to think of some way to get her attention, to make her think about him, maybe one of these times to confront him. Maybe that's what he needed, but every time he would get her attention, he'd seem to lose his courage and look away.

Something had to be done, and fast. Maybe it would just have to be luck of the draw, an unplanned confrontation. Yes, he'd just have to wait for that opportune moment when she wasn't accompanied by her bodyguards, Harry and Ron.

The first weekend of October was the first Hogsmeade visit. Hermione, Harry, Ron and Ginny had planned to go together. They walked out into the crisp Autumn air together, chatting and laughing. The Hogwarts grounds were beautiful in the fall. The trees were shedding their colorful leaves and there was a crispness to the air that was refreshing and calming.

"So, where do you suppose we visit first?" Harry asked the others.

"Well, we could go see Fred and George at their store, they said they have some new creations that have been selling fast that I wanted to check out," Ron suggested.

"I thought their store was in Diagon Alley?" Hermione said.

"They've been doing so good that they decided to expand!" Ginny grinned.

"Okay, we can definitely do that, but could we stop at the book store first?" Hermione said, "The special edition of Hogwarts, A History just came out, it has all sorts of new information in it, I mean you wouldn't believe-"

"Alright, Hermione, maybe we'll visit that later... if there's time," Ron cut her off.

"How about we grab something to eat first," Ginny suggested, seeing Hermione's expression after Ron's comment and deciding to change the subject.

"What a great idea, I'm starving!" Harry agreed, also sensing the tension rising between Hermione and Ron.

"Yes, I suppose that's probably a good idea." Hermione said reluctantly, it wasn't going to do any good to argue right now.

They made their way to Hogsmeade with more small talk about how classes were going, and about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Willoughby. Most people seemed to like him, he was young, (early twenties they figured), a bit free-spirited, and didn't much care for homework, unless necessary.

They walked into the Three Broomsticks and over to a corner table in the back.

"I think he's really great, I mean, he really know what he's talking about." Hermione commented on the new Professor.

"I agree," Harry said, "The class is actually interesting too, that's a plus."

"He's so funny too!" Ginny added, "And really cute," she whispered to Hermione, who laughed and shook her head.

"What was that?" Harry asked her.

"Oh nothing," Ginny answered, grabbing his hand and winking at Hermione, who laughed again at her.

"My favorite thing about him is that he doesn't give us loads of homework!" Ron said.

"Ron, homework is a necessary part of school. Would you honestly study if the professors didn't assign homework?" Hermione scolded him.

"I don't usually study as it is, I just wait until you have time to help me, or else I don't really understand anything anyways." Ron told her honestly.

"Ronald, that's not true, you just don't _listen_ in class. _That_ is why you don't understand anything," Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

"Hey, I try to listen, it's just that the classes are so bloody boring, it's hard to pay attention," Ron said in an attempt to defend himself.

"Maybe you just aren't trying hard enough. You should really pay attention and try to do your homework yourself once in a while," Hermione told him.

"Why bother? I have you to teach me," Ron said smiling.

"Oh so now all I am is someone who can do your homework for you and tell you everything you missed while you were sleeping or goofing off in class?" She asked him angrily, her cheeks starting to flush.

"No Hermione, that's not what I meant-" Ron started to say before he was cut off.

"No need to explain, Ron, I'll just be going since you don't have any homework I can do for you right now!" she said, tears forming in her eyes.

She got up and stalked out. Ron got up to follow her, but Harry put a hand on his shoulder, "I think maybe she just needs a little while to cool off, you can talk to her later," he said.

Ron sat back down, looking confused. "I just don't understand, I didn't mean it like that. I was just trying to tell her how smart she was, it was supposed to be a compliment," Ron said.

"Just give her a little while Ron, then you can talk to her and explain what you meant," Ginny said encouragingly, "Besides, it's obvious you like her, and that she likes you, so I'm sure she'll forgive you soon," she smirked.

At that comment, Ron's ears turned a deep shade of red. "Shut up, Ginny," he said, embarrassed that his feelings for Hermione were so obvious.

As Hermione walked down the streets of Hogsmeade, she didn't really think about where her feet were taking her, she just followed them wherever they went. She was so angry at Ron that she couldn't even think straight. Why would he say something like that? Her brain couldn't be the only reason he was friends with her. Maybe he didn't mean it like that, but even then, wasn't he smart enough to say it so it didn't come out like that? Couldn't he tell that she liked him? Why did he always have to make her so angry?

Draco watched as Hermione stalked out of the Three Broomsticks. He had been walking around with Blaise, discussing other ideas, when he realized this was it.

"Blaise, I think I just found my new plan," He smirked and pointed at Hermione, who was turning a corner, "See ya later."

"Good luck, Drake!" He heard Blaise say as he followed Hermione.

Before any more thoughts and questions went through Hermione's head, she stopped and looked where she had ended up; right in front of the Shrieking Shack. This was the place where Harry had met Sirius. He had heard the whole story of what really happened. Even though Pettigrew had gotten away, he had found his godfather. It was the happiest Hermione had ever seen him. Unfortunately, things couldn't stay that way. Harry had dealt with Sirius's death well. It was a good thing that Ginny had been there for him. She and Ron had been there also, but Ginny was what he needed.

Hermione took a deep breath and walked over to sit down on a rock. She sat there and thought about everything, from what happened at the ministry, to her summer vacation, to the past few weeks, to the comment Ron had made just a little while ago, then she found her mind wandering to a specific blond Slytherin.

She just couldn't seem to stop thinking about him. Sure, she liked Ron a lot, but that was predictable, something familiar and normal. But Malfoy, he wasn't familiar; he was unpredictable. There was so much that was different about him, and all she wanted to do was to know everything. What had made him what he was before this year, why he had changed, why he was being civil, why did he keep looking at her. But then again, why couldn't she get him off of _her_ mind?

At that moment, she heard footsteps behind her. She turned around, wiping her face.

There, standing about 10 feet away from her was Draco Malfoy.


	5. Why?

Chapter 5: Why?

"Malfoy?" Hermione asked quietly, not believing her eyes.

He just stood there staring at her, when he went to open his mouth, nothing came out, and he closed it again.

_Come on, say something_, Draco thought to himself,_ Some witty_ _comment, something sweet, something comforting, even a simple 'Hey Granger' would work!_ His mind seemed to scream at him.

"Hi," he finally said after a minute. '_Hi'_ _that's all I can come up with?_ Draco chided himself.

"What are doing here?" she asked him.

Her eyes were questioning, not angry, but interested. She had looked upset when he had seen her walking up this way, and even when she had turned around. But now, the only look he could see was one of concern, she wasn't asking him why he was bothering her, what he was doing at the Shrieking Shack, but rather, she was asking him why he was standing there in front of _her_. Like she knew he wasn't there for a leisure walk, but he was there to see _her._ He didn't have an answer. Sure, he had the reason that he was supposed to use, he had to get her to trust him, but he didn't have anything planned to say.

"I..." He started, staring deep into her eyes and finding comfort there, enough to find the words to continue, "I saw you coming up here," he said, there was no reason to lie to her, not many people randomly wandered up to this place, "I saw you coming out of the Three Broomsticks, you looked upset and I guess I just wanted to see if you were okay. I don't really know why I care so much, but I just... do," his heart was beating fast, he didn't know how he had just said that without anything written out for him to remember. It must have been because he had a way with women and words. _Yes, that's it,_ he thought.

She just sat there staring at him. _Please say something_, he thought, _anything_.

"Oh," she said. She waited a minute, processing what he'd just said before she continued. "Well, yes, I guess I'm alright," she told him.

He let out a breath he hadn't noticed he'd been holding and walked closer to her, sitting on a rock opposite hers.

"So what made you come up here?" he asked.

"Well," she hesitated, she didn't really know what to say, this was still Malfoy after all, but there just seemed to be something reassuring about the way he looked at her. She took a deep breath and continued, "I got a bit angry at one of my friends, so I decided that it would be better if I just left it alone for a little while to calm down before I said something stupid," she looked into his eyes, they looked caring and thoughtful. She looked away before she read too much into them. She found it was incredibly easy to get lost in those deep silver orbs.

"I know what you mean," he told her honestly, "Sometimes you just need to get away from things before they get that one step too far," he was trying to catch her eye, but she seemed to be avoiding his.

"Yeah," she said, transfixed with a leaf that kept getting thrown around in the light breeze, "I mean, it's not even that big of a deal, I just wanted it to be a nice trip into Hogsmeade with my friends, but I guess I just get so sick of those little comments that I always get, when I can't figure out whether they're making a joke, or trying to give me a compliment, and if it was the former, then they're the jokes that I just... that I get so sick of," she noticed that she had been rambling on, so she shut her mouth and turned her attention over to the Shrieking Shack.

"You probably don't ever get jokes made towards you by your friends though, being the leader of the pack, huh?" she asked.

"Well, not from the majority of them, but Blaise and I often throw jokes at each other, sometimes they're harmless, other times, they're a bit malicious, but either way, we know they're jokes, and we know we're still going to be there for each other afterwards no matter what. I guess it's just something that goes along with friendship. Maybe one of those things that are just for best friends," hopefully he didn't sound like a pussy.

She finally looked over at him with a crooked smile on her face, "You're right," she said, "We do joke around a lot, it usually doesn't get to me, I guess that because of who it was, and the circumstances that it just got under my skin this time, I'm sure he didn't even mean it the way I took it, and I know I'm going to be there for him, I just wanted to get away for a minute," she said.

"You looked deep in thought by the time I got up here, it couldn't have possibly all been because of that, could it?" he asked, cautiously, not sure how she would respond because he didn't know what it was she had been thinking about.

"No, that wasn't all of it, it's just that this place kind of means something to my friends and I, and I didn't really notice where I was headed until I got up here, and it brought back a memory that led me to think about some other things too," she told him.

"Ah, I understand." he nodded. "Was it anything you don't mind telling me about?" he asked.

"It's ironic, really," she started, looking back over to the Shrieking Shack, "It's just that this was the place where I've seen one of my friends the happiest he'd ever been, only to lose it soon after." She looked back at him, "It's a vicious cycle; such a cruel world we live in. It's hard to imagine that someone could have the power to end a life. A power greater than any other that affects so many people, and so many other things. I don't think anyone really understands what it does. It was so great seeing him happy, having him know what it felt like to have someone who was like a parent to him, and then, seeing him lose that, before he even had the chance to really explore it, he was so hurt, and it killed me that I couldn't do anything about it," she was still staring into his eyes when she finished.

He sat there, taking in everything that she was saying. He couldn't believe how deep it was, she wasn't just some air-headed school girl, she was above the other girls at Hogwarts, she was intelligent, she understood things that other people, even older people, couldn't grasp. He was transfixed by her.

"I'm sorry," was all he could get out, "I didn't mean to make you think about it again."

"It's one of those things that doesn't go away, not really, it's always there in the back of your mind," she said, her eyes lost in thought.

"That, I can relate to," he said, a crooked smile playing on his face, "So who is it that made you angry earlier?" he asked.

"Oh just one of my friends," she said, looking away again.

"Let me guess, it was the Weasel, wasn't it?" he said.

"Yes, it was _Ron_," she said, "But it's really not that big of a deal."

"You like him, don't you?" he asked.

"He's one of my best friends," she answered, trying to avoid the real question.

"Yes, I know, but you like him, you have for a long time, it's quite obvious," he told her, standing up and walking over to her.

"I don't know, he's just a friend," she said, her voice getting quieter as he got closer to her.

"I was hoping you'd say that," he said in a whisper when he was about a foot away. Their eyes were locked on each other, both studying the person opposite them.

As he leaned in closer, he saw her eyes close, and smirked, closing his as well. He put his hand on her cheek and gently touched his lips to hers. She returned the kiss and let herself get carried away in the moment. She slid her hand to the back of his neck and pulled him closer, taking in whatever she could, the way his kiss felt, his scent, the way his fingers caressed her cheeks...

After a minute, her eyes shot open and she backed away, jumping off the rock.

"I have to go," she said breathlessly as she turned and ran back towards Hogsmeade.

_What have I done? What just happened? Was that real? How did that happen?_ Those were the only thoughts going through her head as she made her way back to the village.

Draco didn't know whether to be happy or upset, he could tell she wanted to give in, but she wasn't ready yet. She had left him there looking like an idiot.

He could still feel her lips on his. _That was a good act_, he smirked to himself. Although, there was still a voice at the back of his mind screaming at him that it was not an act, that everything he had said had not come from his devious mind, but from his heart, but he couldn't listen to that voice, for his own safety and sanity, he _wouldn't_ listen to that voice.


	6. What Happens Now?

Chapter 6: What Happens Now?

Hermione had spent the remainder of her Hogsmeade visit in the bookstore reading, trying to clear her mind. By the time she arrived back at Hogwarts, most of the students were already back. She made her way up to the Gryffindor common room, whispering the password to the Fat Lady, walking in and spotting who she was looking for.

"Ginny!" she called, rushing over to her and dragging her over to the stairs to their dormitory.

"Nice to see you too, aren't in any rush now, are you?" Ginny asked sarcastically.

"I just need to talk to you, and yes, it's a bit important, no more questions 'til we're in my room," Hermione said quickly, as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Alright, but I'll expect some answers," Ginny told her, as she let herself be dragged down the hall to Hermione's room.

Once inside, Hermione shut and locked the door and made sure Lavender and Parvati weren't there.

"Okay, best friend to best friend and girl to girl, this goes nowhere outside this room," Hermione told her seriously, looking her straight in the eye.

"Ooh, I love these kinds of secrets!" Ginny squealed, "Are you going to tell Harry and Ron?"

"NO! They can't know, this stays between us, I'll tell them when I think the time is right," she told her.

"Okay, enough of this, spill!" Ginny prompted.

"Alright," Hermione closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "When I was upset with Ron today, I needed to go for a walk and I didn't really realize where I was going, but I ended up at the Shrieking Shack, and I guess Malfoy had followed me, and we talked for a little while and... and..._ andthenhekissedme_..." She finished in one breath, saying the last five words together and almost inaudibly.

Her eyes were still shut, but hearing no response, she slowly opened them to see Ginny looking at her with her mouth hanging open and a shocked expression on her face.

"Ginny... please say something?" she said with a pleading look in her eyes.

"You..." Ginny stuttered, "Malfoy..." She tried again, "did you say _kissed?"_ she exclaimed.

"Yeah," Hermione said, looking down, her cheeks starting to blush.

"Oh... my... gosh! Tell me everything!" Ginny squealed again.

"Well, there's just something different about him, and we had real conversation, and he asked me something that I guess he liked to answer to because he walked closer to me and then he just... kissed me, I didn't really know what to do!" Hermione tried to explain.

"Did you kiss him back?" She asked.

"I guess so, I mean, I didn't really know what was going on; it was so unexpected that I fell into it, but I stopped it too, and I left. I don't know what to do!" Hermione confessed.

"I always thought you liked my brother, but _Malfoy_?" Ginny asked, confused.

"I did, I mean, _do_, like Ron, well, I don't know, this is all happening so fast that I don't even know what's going on!" she said frantically.

"Calm down, Hermione, it's going to be okay, have you ever even talked to him before today?" Ginny asked.

"Well, yeah, once," Hermione proceeded to tell her about the night she saw him stumble into the empty classroom.

"Maybe he really does want to get to know you," Ginny suggested.

"But it's _Malfoy_, Ginny, _the_ Malfoy! What am I supposed to do?" Hermione pleaded.

"Maybe you should just stay away from him for a few days, if he's just going to complicate things, then it'll be better that way," Ginny said.

"Yes, you're right, I'll just do that, no problem, I hardly see him anyways," she agreed.

"Let's go back downstairs, you should probably go talk to Ron," Ginny suggested.

"Right," she said, taking a deep breath before they left the room and headed back to the common room, "Where were they when I came in, anyways?"

"Oh, they were out practicing, Quidditch try-outs are coming up soon and they both want to be in shape, even though they're already on the team, they still want to practice before tryouts," Ginny informed her.

When they reached the common room, they found that Ron and Harry were engrossed in a game of Wizard's Chess, and that, unsurprisingly, Ron was winning. After Ron's queen crushed Harry's king, Hermione straightened things out with Ron and everything went well for the rest of the night. After a while, everyone retired to their rooms.

When Hermione reached her bed to climb in and go to sleep, she found a letter sitting on her pillow. She figured an owl had flown in the open window and left it for her. She opened it up and read it in case it was important.

_G-_

_Please meet me in the Astronomy Tower at 12:00 tonight, I'd like to talk to you._

_M._

Hermione's heart was racing; M couldn't possibly stand for Malfoy! She didn't know what to do, she was supposed to be staying away from him, but she couldn't just ignore his letter and make him wait up in the Astronomy Tower for her to not show up. She sighed, it was a quarter to twelve. Throwing on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with her cloak, she left the dormitory. She quietly made her way up to the Tower, watching out for teachers.

She stood in front of the door leading to it for a few minutes, still debating what she wanted to do. Taking a deep breath, she pushed the door open and found that Malfoy was already there waiting. He was sitting on a ledge looking out onto the grounds.

"You came," he said, turning his head. He looked mildly surprised.

"I wasn't just going to ignore your letter," She answered.

"I guess you're not the type to do that, huh?" he said, hopping off the ledge and walking closer to her. "Well, I just wanted to talk to you, about earlier," he said, looking at her for any sign of reaction. He noticed her cheeks turn a bit red and she looked away, "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable talking to me about it," he turned her chin so she was facing him.

"I don't really know what to say, Malfoy, what happened?" she said, looking him in the eye.

"We kissed," he said simply, his lips curling up into a smirk.

"Yes, I know, but what kind of kiss was it?" she asked.

"I don't know," he started, "But I do know that I'd like to find out."

"What do you mean? What are we supposed to do from here?" Hermione said, her eyes burning into his, searching for answers.

"I don't know," he smirked again, "But that's the beauty of it. Look, Granger, I'd really like to get to know you, and I'd really like to hang out with you some time, just to talk. There's just something about you that makes me want to be around you. What do you say?" he was close enough to her that he grabbed her hand gently with his.

With him so close to her, she felt it was harder to think straight. 'S_ay no, Hermione, it's not going to work, you can't let this happen' _was what her voice of reason was telling her, but there was another voice that was saying _'Oh come on, he just wants to talk!' _That voice was winning.

"Well, I guess we could hang out, just to talk. I guess I'd like to get to know you too, but I don't want anything serious, just friends, it's going to be hard enough just trying to be that," she said.

"I'll take what I can get," he said, "So where do you suppose we get together without drawing attention, since I'm sure you haven't told your body guards, and for our safety, I haven't told my friends?"

"I suppose you're right, there. And I think I know a good place," she said, a thought popping into her head.

"Where and when and I'll see you there," he said.

"The Room of Requirements, 8:00 tomorrow night." she said. He knew where she was talking about because he had figured it out during fifth year when he got inside information on the DA.

"I'll see you tomorrow night then," he smiled, lifting her hand to his lips and giving it a light kiss. With that, he swept out of the room, waving goodbye over his shoulder at the door.

_Damnit! _she thought, _What have I gotten myself into!_ She really hadn't expected it to go like that, she was going to come up here to tell him that they could just forget about the kiss, since she figured that's what he would want, but his reaction had been the opposite of what she expected, and she had found herself unable to say no, she wanted to resist, but she couldn't. She stayed up there for a while longer before heading back to her dorm. She had a restless sleep that night, nervous with anticipation of what the next night would hold.

_Ha! Nicely done!_ Draco congratulated himself, smirking all the way back to the dungeons. From here on out it was going to be cake, he would just work his charm and all would be set. Draco's sleep was peaceful that night, he was finally getting somewhere with Granger. She even had a personality, she was someone he could talk to; this would be no problem at all. He was excited, tomorrow he would see her again, that thought made him smile in his sleep, his mind telling him it was because he had made a breakthrough on his task, but the little reoccurring voice was telling him '_It's because you want to see her, because you want to be with her.'_ But once again, that voice was shoved to the back of his mind and disregarded.


	7. Secret Date

Chapter 7: Secret Date

Eight o'clock was approaching fast for Hermione. She kept looking anxiously at the clock about every five seconds.

"What's up?" Ron finally asked her after about the hundredth time he saw her look.

"Oh, nothing, I was just thinking that I should go down to the library to do some studying," she said lamely.

"Well, we'd join you... but we'd hate to disturb you while you work," Ron told her. She knew the others just wouldn't want to go to the library, since they rarely did, unless forced.

"That's fine, don't wait up for me, I just found this great book I'm about to start reading. It's about-" She started, waiting for someone to cut her off.

To her relief, Harry said something, "I'm sure it's a great book Hermione, and I'd hate to keep you from it just to explain it to us. Go have fun, we'll see you later."

"Alright," she smiled, "See you later. Oh! Ginny, I think I left a book in your room, do you mind coming with me to find it?"

Ginny looked quizzical until Hermione winked at her. "Oh!" she exclaimed, "Right, I remember, I'm right behind you. Be right back guys," she got off the couch where she had been sitting with Harry's arm around her and followed Hermione up the stairs. Instead of turning to go to Ginny's room though, they turned towards Hermione's. Once inside with the door locked, Ginny walked over to Hermione's bed and sat down.

"Okay, what's going on?" she asked pointedly.

Hermione looked over at the clock, it was 7:45.

"Well, I... um... I'm not really going to the library," Hermione managed to say, avoiding Ginny's eyes.

"Then where _are_ you going?" Ginny asked.

"Well, you remember how we decided it would be best if I stayed away from Malfoy?" she said.

"Yes..." Ginny prompted.

"Well, I didn't do a very good job of that," Hermione confessed.

She proceeded to tell Ginny about the note from Malfoy and their talk in the Astronomy Tower.

"So you're going to see him right now, aren't you?" Ginny asked when Hermione finished the story.

"Yes..." she said.

"Well, all I have to say is be careful. And I hope you know what you're doing. But I've always known to trust your judgment, so just... be smart," Ginny warned.

Hermione ran over and hugged Ginny, "Thanks, I just really needed to tell someone and I knew you'd understand."

"I never said I understood, but I will support you. Oh, and you better tell me what happens!" Ginny told her.

"Okay, well I better get going, thanks for everything, Gin!" Hermione said, hugging her again and picking up her sweater. They exited the room and went back down to the common room. Hermione said goodbye to everyone and headed for the Room of Requirement.

"Alright, Blaise, wish me luck," Draco said to him as he grabbed his wand off the night stand and headed for the door.

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, mate," Blaise said.

"I don't really have a choice now do I, seeing how the All-Mighty Dark Lord-" he said the name with sarcasm dripping from his voice, "-is forcing this upon me," he rolled his eyes and Blaise smirked.

"Well, have fun then!" Blaise said, opening the door for Draco in mock enthusiasm.

"Gee thanks, see you later," Draco said heading for the Room of Requirement.

On his way there he ran into Hermione who was coming out of the corridor from Gryffindor Tower.

He flashed her a smile, "Well hey there," he said.

"Hi Malfoy," she said with a crooked smile, unsure still on what to do. They walked together to the right place.

When they had reached the spot where the door would show up, Malfoy turned to her, "Let me take care of this, I think I know what we want," he told her.

He walked past the door three times thinking _We need a place to talk comfortably like friends._

After the third time, a door appeared. He opened it and ushered Hermione in.

Inside, the walls were an emerald green and it was very well lit. There were two big plush red couches set across from each other. In front of them was a table. Sitting on the table were two cups of pumpkin juice. On the walls were large paintings and a big clock. The room was very spacious, and it held an all together comfortable atmosphere.

Hermione took a seat on one couch and took a sip of her juice. Malfoy took the seat across from her and sat back, studying her. She looked up when she felt his eyes on her.

"Alright, Malfoy, we're here, what would you like to talk about?" She asked in a 'just-trying-to-make-conversation' way.

"Well, anything you want really, how about we play a little game of Q and A," he suggested.

"Alright, you can go first," she agreed.

"Tell me about your family," he said.

"Well, my parents are both muggles, but you knew that, I don't have any siblings, but I get along really well with my parents. They're very proud of me for all my work and such. They were so excited when I got my letter for Hogwarts! They're both dentists, and they live in London. That's my family," she said.

"Wow, so you get along with your parents?" he asked, genuinely intrigued.

"For the most part, yes. But it's my turn to ask a question. What's your family like?" As soon as she'd asked the question she wished she could have taken it back. She saw a look of pain flash across his eyes, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, you know," she added in a softer voice.

"No, I don't mind," He started, drawing a deep breath, "Well, as you're aware, my father is awful. But my mother, she used to be amazing. Before everything got this messed up, she was amazing. She was beautiful, she was lively, she was funny, she was loving. But lately, she's been... empty. All I've seen in her eyes is the pain my father causes and all I see in her actions is the same routine she goes through day after day," he stopped talking, He could tell that what he was saying was getting to her. She looked concerned, for _him_.

He didn't need to be telling her those personal thoughts, but it was certainly helping. If he kept talking to her like this, she would trust him in no time. At least she was easy to talk to. _'That's what you want Draco, you want someone to talk to, you _need_ someone to talk to!'_ The little voice in the back of his mind was saying. He wasn't listening though, he was just seeing it as a way to get to her.

During his story, he had averted his eyes to staring down at the table, _just for show_, he thought.

"I'm... sorry," Hermione whispered.

"Don't worry about it, it's not that big of a deal. Anyways, new question," He said changing the subject, "What was it like growing up as a child in a muggle town?"

"Well, it was a bit different from the wizarding world, as you can imagine. I went to a muggle school until I was ten. It had a lot of basic subjects, and I learned a lot. In my free time I did a lot of studying, I always enjoyed reading, too. But I also had friends that I spent time with a lot; neighborhood friends. It wasn't all that interesting, nothing compared to this world," she told him.

"Was it hard switching over to this world?" he asked her.

"At first it was, but I just felt more at home here, like I fit in. I always felt so different and out of place at my old school, but I couldn't figure out why. But here, it just feels _right,"_ she said, "My turn. What's it like having everything you could ever want?" she asked, meaning for it to be a light-hearted question.

He let out a dry laugh. "I wouldn't put it that way. True, I have a lot of tangible things. But, there are a lot of things I never did have. I mean, you had two loving parents, and I'm sure they didn't really care who your friends were. They aren't forcing you to do things you don't want to, trying to make you something you're not. I really wouldn't say I have everything. But you, Granger, you're lucky," he said.

"Wow, Malfoy, I never knew you thought that way. I always thought you were the stuck-up git you've acted like for the past five years," she joked.

Draco smiled at her, "No," he said, "I guess I just acted like I was better than everyone because it was the only thing I knew how to do. But now, I just don't want to be like that anymore. I'm getting down off my high horse," he smirked.

"Well, that's good to know," she smiled, but it was a real smile, not just a polite one. "You know, Malfoy, I'm actually having a good time, I'm glad I agreed to this."

"So am I, I actually feel comfortable talking to you. It's nice, having someone who listens," he told her.

"You're quite intriguing really, It's hard _not_ to get lost in what you're saying. It sounds like it really is coming from your heart. I like that," she said, looking him in the eye.

"And I must say, it's interesting hearing things from the other side. And from someone who actually has a brain," he said with a smirk, only it really was true.

Hermione got up and walked over to look at a picture. It was a painting of a little girl wearing a pink dress and a little boy wearing blue overalls, both were wearing big hats. They were holding hands walking down a dirt road surrounded on both sides by fields of flowers. The lines were fuzzy, giving it a softer, more antique, dreamy look.

"It's beautiful," she said.

"Yes, it is," Draco said from behind her. The only thing is, he wasn't looking at the picture, he was looking at _her._ Why had he never noticed how beautiful she was? Everything about her was beautiful. She turned to him, her chocolate eyes locking with his silver ones.

"It's getting late, I should be heading back," she said quietly.

"You're probably right," he said, "Will you meet me here tomorrow?"

"Sure," she smiled.

As she turned to leave, he grabbed her hand. She turned back to face him, her eyes questioning.

"Can I kiss you?" he asked almost inaudibly.

It didn't sound like a cheesy question the way he said it. It sounded deep, sincere.

She didn't know what to say, "I... I guess," she bit her lip, "I mean... yes, you can," she breathed. _Oh what am I doing! We're just supposed to be friends!_

Draco leaned in and placed another gentle kiss on her lips. "I had a great time, Granger. I'll see you tomorrow," he whispered into her ear. He moved back and smiled at her, releasing her hand. She only had time to smile dazedly at him before turning around and leaving the room.

Inside, all she wanted to do was run back in and kiss him until she couldn't breathe anymore, kiss him until her lips were swollen. But she couldn't, this couldn't happen. It took all the self control she had to leave that room. She was excited that she would see him tomorrow, she really did enjoy talking to him, but she was scared too, she didn't know how much longer she could use her self control.

She was impressed with him though, he had opened up to her again, and he hadn't been forceful with anything. She liked getting to know him, he wasn't at all like she had imagined. She smiled to herself as she walked back towards Gryffindor Tower. _This will definitely be interesting_, she thought.

Draco plopped down on his bed when he reached his dorm. He let out a deep breath and sighed to himself. He was definitely getting somewhere. As he recapped the night's events, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"So how'd it go, Drake?" Blaise took a seat on the opposite side of the bed.

"Oh, it went fine, we talked for a while, then we left," Draco answered.

"Getting through to her yet?" Blaise asked.

"Yeah, I think so. I still have some work to do though. I'm meeting with her tomorrow night again," he said.

"Good job!" Blaise said, "I never would have thought Granger would actually _want_ to talk to you."

"Well, Blaise, for your information, she _actually_ does," Draco said, getting annoyed.

"Well, it doesn't look like she's the only one who _wants_ to get together again," Blaise said slyly, getting up and going back to his own bed.

"I don't know what you're talking about, I'm going to bed," Draco said, turning over away from Blaise.

"Whatever you say, mate, whatever you say," Blaise called back, closing his eyes.

'_He just wants to get at you'_ The voice in Draco's head told him. Draco settled with that thought, closing his eyes to go to sleep. But behind that voice, was that pesky reoccurring one that he once again, shut out. It was saying quietly, '_He's right Draco, you know he's right.'_


	8. A Romantic Evening

Chapter 8: A Romantic Evening

For a little while, things went pretty much the same as that night. Each night they would meet in the Room of Requirements and talk for a long time. At the end of the night, he would give her a kiss and they would go their separate ways. Ginny was always waiting for Hermione when she arrived back at her dorm, waiting to hear details of the night's events.

It was Hermione's seventh night of seeing Draco. She arrived back to her room and flopped down on her bed where Ginny was lying, absorbed in a book.

Ginny hadn't heard Hermione come in and jumped when she landed on the bed. Hermione had that dazed happy look on her face as she had each night after she came back.

"Well hey, have fun?" Ginny said, putting a silencing charm around the curtains of the bed.

Hermione sighed contentedly, "Yeah, I really did."

"So what did you guys talk about tonight?" Ginny asked.

"Malfoy told me all about his house. There are thirty three rooms! Can you believe it, thirty three! Only twelve are bedrooms. And his _mother_ has her own bedroom, she doesn't even sleep in the same room as Lucius. Though I don't blame her," Hermione said, turning over to face Ginny, "The way he explained the library, I bet it's as big as Hogwart's library! He told me I'd love it, I bet I could spend hours in that library," Hermione sighed again, and looked dreamily back up at the ceiling.

Ginny smiled at her friend, "So things are going good then?"

"Yes, things are going great," Hermione agreed.

"So has he done anything other than kiss you yet?" she asked.

"No, not yet. But I must say, I wouldn't mind if he did," Hermione confessed, her face turning a bit red.

Ginny laughed, "You, Hermione, of all people, I never would have expected to say that."

"Honestly, neither did I, he's just been so great," she said.

"So are you seeing him tomorrow?" Ginny asked.

"Yes," she smiled, "Same place, same time."

They talked for a while more before Ginny headed off to her own room. Hermione fell asleep soon after, her mind still filled with thoughts of a certain Slytherin.

"Alright, you have one hour, starting now, I will _not_ accept anything after that. The list of ingredients is on the board." With a flick of Snape's wand, a list of ingredients appeared on the black board in front of the class.

Chairs screeched as students got up to get their ingredients and murmurs were heard of partners discussing what they were going to do and how. Harry and Ron were splitting up jobs, when Ron noticed that Hermione still hadn't moved from her seat.

"Hermione," Ron started, "_Hermione,"_ he said again after he got no response the first time.

Hermione was startled out of her daze, "Yes, what? Ron, did you say something?" she asked.

"I was just going to ask you if you'd rather get the ingredients or the cauldron, but Harry's just gone to get the ingredients so that leaves you with the cauldron. I'm going to write everything down," Ron said.

Hermione smirked, "Ron I think maybe I'll copy everything down, why don't you go help Harry with the ingredients, there are about twenty of them, I don't think he can carry them all himself."

"Right, you're probably right, I really just didn't feel like getting up," he admitted, "But you're still getting the cauldron," he added, getting up and following after Harry.

Hermione shook her head and laughed, _Some people never change._ She hadn't really seen a lot of Harry and Ron lately, she wondered if anything interesting had happened. _I think I'll set aside tomorrow night to hang out with them, Malfoy will understand._

She went over and grabbed a cauldron and brought it back to their table. She sat down and copied the directions as she waited for Harry and Ron to return.

With little distraction, and only a few snide remarks from Snape, their potion was finished and the perfect shade of blue, thanks mostly to Hermione. They poured a little in a vile and carried it up to Snape's desk, setting it in the 'finished' box. Snape sneered at them, but had no comment seeing that it was perfect.

As they turned around to leave, Draco Malfoy was bringing his vile up as well. His potion was also done perfectly, like always, seeing how he was second in the class, only to Hermione. As he handed in his vile in the box, a very uncharacteristic smile came to Snape's face.

"Well done, Draco!" He turned his attention to the rest of the class, "If you'll all look up here, you'll see a perfect example of how this potion is supposed to look. You would all do well to take tips from Mr. Malfoy. Well done, Draco, keep up the _excellent _work," with that, he smirked at Draco and turned back to what he had been doing.

"You know he just does that to get to us, I really don't understand," Ron said, shaking his head.

"He's a git, that's all there is to it," Harry concluded.

Hermione just shook her head, they were right, Snape was a git. But she also knew that Malfoy's potion probably was perfect.

They went back to the common room for a while since it was their break period.

Harry and Ron got out a Wizard's Chess board while Hermione sighed and pulled out her potions book.

"You know, you two would be better off starting on your homework. We have ten inches due on the shrinking potion we did today by Friday," Hermione scolded.

"Yes, but it's only Tuesday," Ron smiled at her.

Hermione couldn't help but smile back, but she shook her head in disapproval.

"Oh darn, I must have ran out of parchment. I'm going to run up to my room for a minute. Maybe when I come back you two will be working on your papers," Hermione got up from the couch and walked over to the stairs, she turned back to see if her advice had had any effect on the boys.

Harry was sitting thinking about his next move when he felt Hermione's eyes on them, he turned his head towards her and smiled, "You didn't really think that would work did you?"

She sighed, "No, not really, I just had high hopes," she walked up the stairs, she found it amusing, really. She was glad they weren't changing, she'd miss the way they were now.

She entered her room and walked over to her desk to grab some parchment, when something on her bed caught her eye. It was letter, sitting on her pillow. She smiled, hoping it was from who she thought it was.

She sat down on her bed and opened it up.

_G-_

_8:00 ROR. Wear something nice, meet me outside the room._

_-M_

Hermione smiled to herself. The note was so mysterious, she was excited. She'd have to ask Ginny's opinion on what to wear later.

She put the note in a drawer, grabbed her parchment and went back down to sit with Harry and Ron.

The rest of the day went by uneventfully. They were transfiguring quills into squirrels in Transfiguration, (but somehow Ron's squirrel had ended up with a small puffy tail and long ears like a bunny), learning about the food preferences of Kneazles in Care of Magical Creatures, Listening to Professor Binns drone on about the First Wizarding War of 1382, (which both Ron and Harry slept through), practicing protective spells in defense against the dark arts, taking notes on levitating live objects in charms, and taking care of Bouncing Bulbs in Herbology.

By 7:00 the Trio and Ginny were back in Gryffindor Tower lounging around, letting dinner settle.

"Ginny would you mind coming upstairs with me for a second, I have a book that I think you'll really enjoy," Hermione said, not being able to wait any longer to get Ginny alone to help her.

Ginny sighed and set down her Charms essay she'd been working on. "Sure," she said, getting up and following Hermione.

"Ginny will be back in a little while, but I'm going to be heading to the Library, is there anything I can pick you boys up while I'm there," Hermione asked.

Ron and Harry smirked at each other, "No thanks, Hermione, you just go have fun, we'll entertain ourselves here," Harry said.

"Okay, well it _would_ be a good idea to start on your Potions essay," the boys looked at her wearily, "Or not, just a suggestion," she smiled and dragged Ginny along with her up to her room.

"Please tell me you don't _really_ have a book for me," Ginny whined when they were inside her room.

"No, don't worry, I just need your help," Hermione told her, walking over to her desk and taking out the note from Malfoy and showing it to Ginny.

"Ooo!" Ginny squealed, "Okay, show me all your dresses."

Hermione walked over to her wardrobe and pulled out the only three dresses she had with her.

The first one Hermione showed her was a plain deep shiny red with a high neck and cap sleeves, it came down a little past her knees.

"Nope, too conservative, next," Ginny said.

The next was a little black dress that stopped just before her knees. This one had a square neck line and thick straps holding it up.

"Nope, too boring, next," Ginny told her again.

The third was a dark green satin dress that was tight on top and flowed out from the hips to the bottom which was right above her knees. It was a halter with a deep v-neck.

"Ooo! That one, put it on!" Ginny exclaimed.

Hermione changed into the green dress and showed Ginny. It fit her perfectly, clinging to all the right places and giving her room to move around.

"Wow," Ginny said, "You look amazing!"

Hermione blushed, "Thanks, I just hope Malfoy thinks the same thing," She looked at herself in the mirror and couldn't help but smile, she loved this dress.

"Let me do your hair and make-up," Ginny said.

By quarter to eight, Hermione was ready. She had very light make up on, faded emerald green eyeliner, and a light layer of blush. Her hair was perfectly curled, a few stray strands framing her face. She had a light pink lip gloss on that made her look irresistible.

She looked in the mirror again, "You're amazing, Ginny."

"I know," Ginny smirked, "But you look great! Oh and I have the perfect shoes for that, let me go grab them."

A minute later Ginny returned with a pair of gold three-inch-heeled sandals with emerald gems on the straps. Hermione slipped them on; they looked great with the dress.

"Okay, now I'm ready to go," Hermione smiled at Ginny.

"You should probably put your cloak on until you get up to the Room of Requirements, Harry and Ron may get a bit suspicious as to why you're going to the library in a dress," Ginny suggested.

"Ah, right," Hermione ran over and put on her cloak, which covered the whole outfit, "Okay, let's go."

Ginny gave Hermione a big hug, "Have fun, I'll be here when you get back!" she said as they went back down to the common room.

Hermione quickly waved goodbye to everyone and headed off towards the Room of Requirement.

She arrived there to find the corridor empty. She slipped off her cloak and leaned against the wall, closing her eyes. The door to the Room of Requirements opened and Draco stepped out.

"You look stunning," he smirked at her.

She jumped at his voice, taking in his appearance. His hair wasn't gelled back, but hung loosely over his forehead. He was wearing a crisp black suit. _He looks amazing._ Hermione thought, _Even though he usually does anyways._

Malfoy walked over and took her arm in his, "Shall we?"

She nodded and let him lead her into the room. Once inside, she looked around and was speechless.

The walls were set as an evening sky. The sun was setting on the west wall. There was a piano in one corner, bewitched to play itself, a long black couch against another wall, and in the middle of the room was a round table set for two. Two candles were set up in the middle of the table surrounded by a plate of slow roasted prime rib, corn, mashed potatoes, gravy, and vegetables. Two places were set across from each other, along with two glasses filled with a crimson liquid. The lights were dimmed, so the only light was the sunset and the candles.

"It's_ beautiful_," Hermione breathed. She didn't normally drink wine, (which she figured the glasses were filled with), but it added to the mood so she decided to go with it.

"I'm glad you like it," he whispered in her ear, leading her over to her seat.

They each loaded their plates and devoured the delicious food. After they had finished with their dinners, Draco waved his wand over the table and clean dessert plates and cheesecake appeared on the table.

"How did you do that?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, I put in a little favor with the house elves in the kitchen," Draco smiled.

Hermione shook her head, as much as she hated that the house elves had to make this food, just for her and Malfoy, she didn't want to ruin the mood; she was having a wonderful time. They talked throughout dinner and dessert about numerous things, from house elves, to the Malfoy library to just small talk and joking around. They both found it easy to talk to the other.

After they had finished with their desserts, Draco got up and held out his hand for Hermione, she took it and stood up, her eyes questioning.

"Dance with me," he whispered, looking into her eyes.

That look made her melt. She couldn't even say anything, just nodded her head and let him take the lead. She rested her head on his chest and sighed contentedly. After a little while, she pulled back and looked up at him. He was smiling down at her.

"Let's sit down," she said.

They walked over to the couch and Draco sat in the corner, one leg across the couch, the other hanging off. He motioned for her to lay down with him. She was nervous, yet for some reason felt safe with him. She lay down between his legs with her back and head resting on his chest. He rested his head on hers and sighed, closing his eyes.

They stayed this way for a while in a comfortable silence, both just enjoying the other's company. It was getting late and Hermione knew that she would have to get back to her room pretty soon. She got up and turned to face him, his eyes were on her. He didn't want to go back yet, but he knew it was getting late. He got up and put his arms around her, pulling her closer to him.

"It's getting late, but I don't want you to leave yet," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione felt the same way. She wished she could just stay here with him, but she knew she had to get back soon.

"I have to," she whispered back.

Draco moved his head so he could look into her eyes. Hermione knew she should leave, but she couldn't break eye contact with him, she was frozen in place, captivated by that look.

Draco leaned in and placed a gentle kiss on her lips, but lingered for a moment, waiting for her response. Hermione was caught up in the moment and couldn't help but lean back in for more; she needed more, wanted more.

Draco felt the same way inside, but smirked as his arrogant side was saying to him, _you've got her_.

As soon as her lips touched his, she melted into the kiss and his thoughts slipped away from him. It wasn't like their other kisses, which were always gentle and careful, this was filled with passion, _need_. His tongue traced the outside of her lips, asking for entrance and she readily obliged. They stood there for a few minutes together before he pulled her back down on the couch. His hands caressed her cheeks as his tongue massaged hers. He flipped her over so he was on top. Hermione moaned into the kiss, wanting more, but knowing she shouldn't. She'd never done this before and found it invigorating. They stayed there for a while in each other's arms, neither wanting to break the kiss, but both aware of how late it was getting. Finally, Hermione pulled back, out of breath.

"It really is getting late," she whispered regretfully.

Draco sighed and got up, holding out his hands for Hermione. She took them and stood up with him.

"Go get some sleep, I'll see you tomorrow," Draco said sweetly.

"Goodnight," Hermione said, kissing him gently once more.

"Goodnight," he said as she left the room with the biggest smile he'd ever seen on her. He smirked and shook his head, amazed, but glad that he could draw that reaction from her.

She was still the innocent girl he'd always known her to be, but he could sense a wild side that no one had unwrapped before. He vowed to himself to be the first one to find it.

"So Drake, any new discoveries with Granger yet?" Blaise asked, plopping down next to Draco on the couch in the Slytherin common room.

Draco sighed, he hadn't expected anyone to come out and find him since it was so late. "Oh not really, but I'm starting to think there's a mischievous side to this girl."

"Well then, I'm sure you're not having that bad of a time," Blaise smirked.

"Shut it Blaise, that's not what I meant," Draco said, rolling his eyes.

"Alright man, but if that ever does happen, you better tell me. Because hey, Granger's lookin" pretty good these days, and if you don't want her, you let me know," Blaise winked at Draco, waiting to see how he'd respond. He could tell that Draco was starting to actually like this girl, and Draco had _never_ actually liked anyone, he was going to have fun with this.

"Hey, leave her alone, she's not just someone like Pansy, who goes around with everyone," Draco said, getting up.

"I know, Drake, that's why you better hurry up before someone else goes for her," Blaise smiled, getting up and walking back towards their room.

"Hey, it's not- it's not like I _like_ her, I was just saying she'd never go for someone like you," Draco stammered, trying to defend himself.

Blaise turned around, walking backwards now, "I never said you _did_ like her, Drake, that was all you," he smirked and turned back around, shaking his head. He knew Draco would figure it out for himself sometime soon anyways.

Draco watched Blaise walk up the stairs and turn the corner towards the dorms.

"Shit!" Draco kicked the wall. _I don't fuckin' like her_, he thought to himself angrily_, She's just part of the task, that's IT!_ He kicked the wall again and groaned, falling back onto the couch. His mind was reeling with thoughts as he drifted off to sleep, not even bothering to go upstairs. He kept tossing around excuses, telling himself it was all in Blaise's head. But in the back of his mind was the voice that was starting to get louder, and harder to ignore, it was telling him, _Someday you'll have to admit it, Draco. You can't ignore it forever_. He threw a pillow over his head and yelled into it, trying to shut out his thoughts. He finally fell asleep, though his dreams were filled with a certain chocolate eyed girl, which only made his sleep more restless because he knew he shouldn't be thinking about her. Yet somehow, it always ended up that way anyways.


	9. A Dream & Strategies for a Test

Chapter 9: A Dream & Strategies for a Test

Ginny had been up waiting for Hermione when she got back. Hermione had told her all about the night's events. Ginny had been excited for her that things were going so well. They had stayed up well into the night talking about all kinds of things, gossiping and laughing together; Neither had a worry in the world. Unfortunately, things couldn't always be that easy, at least not for them. When Hermione had come back to Gryffindor Tower, she hadn't noticed that the common room wasn't empty.

_Dark Shadowed figures stood in the corner of an unrecognizable room. Ron and Hermione lay unconscious on the cold stone floor. He looked around the room and saw that he, himself, lay near another corner of the room. His attention locked on whoever, or whatever, was standing in the shadows, his eyes filled with fire, though he didn't know why. Murmurs were heard from the shadows. Everything went quiet. An eerie silence filled the room, followed by a hollow, sinister laugh. Hermione and Ron's eyes shot open, fear evident in them. Everything went black. Then all at once flashes of pictures came to his mind. Red eyes. A glimpse of long, platinum_ _blond. Hermione sitting on her knees, pain and disbelief shown on her face, a single tear streaking down her cheek. His own face, distorted in pain. There was still no sound. Everything went black again. The last words he heard were no louder than a whisper, filled with awe and despair. 'How could you...'_

Harry sat up with a gasp. He was drenched in sweat, his heart beating furiously. He shakily grabbed his glasses off his night stand and put them on. It was only one o'clock. He let out a deep breath, Getting up and leaving the bedroom. His thoughts were racing through his head, hardly giving him time to process them. The sound of his footsteps echoed through the empty hallways as he made his way down to the Gryffindor common room. He sat down on the couch, staring into the fire. He knew he wouldn't be able to sleep anymore that night. He stayed there for hours, unable to find the strength to move. Around two, he heard the portrait door swing open, revealing a very dazed and happy looking Hermione. He didn't really want to explain what he was doing up because he still needed time to process everything, so he sat there silently, watching her as she walked past, unnoticing of him, and up to her dorm.

It wasn't until 6:30 that he decided he should go get showered and dressed for class. He had been up the whole time, and found, when he got to the bathroom and took a look at himself, that he had dark circles under his eyes and looked completely drained. He sighed, shaking his head and stepping in the shower, hoping the hot water would help him relax a bit.

"Oy! Hermione!" Ron called when he saw her walk into the Great Hall. She looked tired, but seemed to be in a good mood. She walked over to the middle of the Gryffindor table where Ron, Harry and Ginny were sitting.

"Good morning," she yawned, reaching for a muffin.

"Morning Hermione," Ginny said, grinning at her.

Hermione blushed and looked back at her muffin, hoping someone would start a conversation.

Harry didn't want to ask where she had been so late the night before yet because he wanted to wait until they were alone, or it was just the four of them.

"So, Hermione, are you going to the library again tonight?" Harry asked non-chalantly.

"Oh!" she said, remembering she had to owl Draco, "Um, no I'm not, I was hoping we could hang out tonight, all of us," she said hopefully.

"Well you three can, but I'm going to a study group for Potions with some other fifth years," Ginny said.

"Study group?" Ron asked, confused, "I don't understand, you have Hermione, who could possibly help more than she could?"

Hermione smiled, she was sure he was trying to be nice and cute again. She felt a bit guilty, after liking him for so long, that she didn't find it as attractive as she used to. She saw him as the big brother he'd always been. Hopefully, he'd realize it too.

"Oh, Ron!" Ginny exclaimed, "I _could_ ask Hermione, but I don't hang out with my friends from _my _year very often anymore because I'm always with you guys, so I'd like to catch up with them. And I'm sure you three would like to hang out alone since it's been so long since you've been able to."

"You're sure, Gin?" Harry asked lovingly.

"Positive," she smiled, giving him a reassuring kiss. They probably should spend a _little_ time apart once in a while. Though she did have to admit, she loved being with him.

Ron rolled his eyes, "Must you do that in front of me?"

"Oh, Ron," Hermione laughed, "You can't really believe they've been dating for this long and never _kissed_!"

"Well, I'd like to imagine that's how it is," Ron smiled.

Hermione sighed, "Well I've got to make a stop before class, so I'll meet you guys there." She got up and waved goodbye, bringing the rest of her muffin along with her.

She made her way up to the owlery and grabbed a piece of parchment to write a note to Malfoy. She sent it along with one of the school owls and headed for her first class.

Draco was still sleeping when he heard a tap at his window. He opened his eyes slightly, adjusting to the sunlight that was streaming in. Sitting on the window ledge was one of the school owls. He threw off the covers and opened the window to let the owl in. He sat down on his bed opening the note, it read:

_M:_

_I had an amazing time last night. I hope you don't mind if I spend tonight with Harry and Ron since I haven't seen them in a while. Send me an owl back and let me know if you want to meet me tomorrow night._

_-H_

Draco sighed, she obviously couldn't spend _every_ night with him. Besides, it would give him time to strategize his next move. He knew that his first part of the task was to get Granger to trust him, but he also had to think about the long term, he still had Potter to work on. That was going to be Hell. He grabbed a scrap piece of parchment from his desk and scribbled a note back, trying to make it sound sweet and genuine. He gave it to the owl to take back to Hermione.

Draco looked at the time, _Shit!_ He thought. It was a good thing that owl had came, or else he probably would have slept through his first class. He only had fifteen minutes until class started. He ran to the bathroom and hopped in the shower. By the time he had washed, dressed, and made it to the Transfiguration room, he was only about five minutes late.

As soon as he sat down he could feel everyone's eyes on him.

"Five points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy. Please try to be _on time_ to my class next time," Professor McGonagall told him, without even looking up from the papers she had in front of her.

"Please open to page three hundred and thirty-seven and begin reading on Complex-Celled Transfiguration."

Malfoy let out a deep breath, taking out his book and starting to read.

After a long day of classes, the trio made their way back up to Gryffindor Tower.

"I'll be right back, I'm just going to put my books away," Hermione told them, heading up towards the girls dormitories.

As she set down her books on her desk, she found that she had an owl waiting for her outside her window. She opened the window, taking the note it was holding out for her and giving it a snack. She walked over and sat down on her bed, opening up the note, hoping Malfoy hadn't been upset.

_G-_

_Don't worry about it. Enjoy yourself, I know I've been stealing you away from them lately, so I insist that you stay there tonight. If you're free tomorrow night, I was thinking 8:00 ROR. Let me know._

_-M_

Hermione folded up the note and put it in her desk drawer. She pulled out another piece of parchment and quickly wrote him a reply saying she'd see him tomorrow night at eight. She gave it to the owl who took off towards the Slytherin dormitories. With that, she headed back down to the common room.

Hermione walked into the common room to find Harry and Ron sitting in their usual corner, Ron sitting in a chair, Harry on one half of the couch, saving the other half for her. They were right in front of the fireplace, which made her happy, since she'd been cold all day for some reason. She walked over, sitting down and relaxing. It was nice to just hang out with them again.

After some small talk about classes and how Quidditch practice was going, Harry, turned to Hermione with a serious face. He looked like he had something to say, or ask, but didn't know how.

"Something wrong, Harry?" Hermione asked.

"Er, well, we'll start with the small stuff then I have something important to talk to you both about," Harry said uncertainly, looking down at the floor.

"Go on," Hermione prompted, while Ron looked on in interest.

"Well, Hermione, what time did you get in last night?" Harry asked cautiously.

"Uh... well, I-I guess it was a bit later than usual," Hermione stuttered, not expecting that question.

"I was down here, in the common room, when you got back," Harry looked at her, "What were you doing out so late?"

Hermione's heart started beating a little faster, Ron and Harry were both looking at her curiously, "Well, I just got really involved in this book, I must have lost track of time," she swallowed hard, hoping she sounded convincing. She _hated_ lying to them.

"We asked Neville earlier when _he_ got back from the library around eleven if he knew if you were heading back anytime soon, and he said he hadn't seen you down there," Ron stated.

"I was in the back corner, no one usually comes back there," Hermione lied.

"Alright, Hermione, but you know you can talk to us about anything, right? You don't have to hide anything from us," Harry said in a concerned voice.

"I'm not hiding anything from you, if ever there's anything I need to talk about, I know I can trust you both. So please, trust me," Hermione said, hating that she had to do this.

"Okay," Harry said, still not completely convinced, but taking her word for it. Ron, however looked like he bought the entire story, which hurt Hermione even more.

"So what is it you wanted to talk to us about, Mate?" Ron asked Harry, changing the subject.

"Well, I..." he started. "I just wanted to..." he tried again. But he couldn't bring himself to tell them about his dream. He still had to think everything over for himself, and for some reason, he didn't feel that it was the right time to tell them. "I just wanted to say that I really missed hanging out like this, just the three of us." Harry said lamely.

"Oh, well I've missed it too, is that what the important talk was?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Mostly, yes," Harry said, but knowing how unconvincing he sounded added, "I just thought that with everyone being so busy, Ron and I with Quidditch and you and your studies, and me with Ginny, we just don't get a chance to hang out like this very often anymore."

"I guess you're right," Ron said, thinking about it for the first time. They had all gotten pretty busy. Even he had been busy lately, trying to keep up with his classes and Quidditch took up a lot of time. He really did miss Hermione though. Over the summer he had thought that their 'relationship' had gotten stronger, and he had even thought that he may have a chance to _be_ with her. He still liked her a lot, but he could feel the distance growing between them. "We should do this more often, have a night that we can all just hang out together."

Harry could tell that Ron was thinking about spending more time with Hermione. It was plain to see that he still liked her, but he'd noticed lately that she didn't seem to be returning the feeling anymore. He wondered what had happened.

They sat around talking about smaller things and laughing together like old times, like they had that summer when they'd all been together for a little while at the Burrow. When it started getting late, they decided they should head upstairs. They said goodnight and went their separate ways.

"Blaise, I think I've done as much as I can with her. I really think she trusts me," Draco told him smugly.

"Alright then, I say you test her," Blaise smirked.

"Hmm... probably a good idea, what have you got in mind. At least this will get my _father_-" he said the name with malice, "-off my back for a little while," Draco said.

"Well, it's a two step process that I think would be the perfect test," Blaise said, trying to make Draco get it out of him.

Draco sighed, "Get on with it, Blaise, tell me this _brilliant_ idea."

"Step one: find out her big fears," Blaise looked over at Draco and grinned.

"Okay..." Draco asked, "And step two?"

"Simple, help her get over it," Blaise said.

"I don't get it, how will that test anything?" Draco asked, confused.

Blaise shook his head, "Oh, Draco, ye of little faith," he joked.

"Explain please," Draco prompted, starting to get annoyed.

Blaise sighed, "Alright, alright. Let's say for example, she's deathly afraid of... dogs."

"Okay..."

"Well, you find a dog and see if she runs away screaming or if she trusts you enough to suck up her fears and go along with it," Blaise finished.

"You know, Blaise, you're crazy. And I hope you understand that would only work for specific fears," Draco said.

"I'm quite aware I'm crazy, as well as quite aware that it will only work for specific things, yada yada yada, don't worry about it. If that doesn't fly, I have a back-up plan, but I'll save that until we figure out how this will work," Blaise smiled.

Draco closed his eyes and lay back on his bed, "We'll see I guess, I'll try you're plan, but I'm not very reassured, I'm just doing this to humor you," he told him.

"Just give it a try, it could work quite well. Well, at least, it would be a good test, if all goes as planned," Blaise said. He too lay back on his bed and closed his eyes.

"Whatever, I'm goin' to bed," Draco said in a tired voice, turning over and pulling up his covers.

"'Night," Blaise said, dimming the lamp beside his bed until it went out.

As Draco drifted off to sleep, Hermione's face kept entering his dreams, making him smile absent-mindedly. She trusted him, he knew she did. Now he just had to prove it. That would get the first part of his task out of the way. Unfortunately, he wasn't sure how hard the second part would be, _that_ he hadn't thought about yet.


	10. Suspicions & A Meeting

Chapter 10: Suspicions & A Meeting

It was the next night and as planned, Hermione had gone to the Room of Requirements.

"Ron, I just don't know, I think she's up to something," Harry said for the third time since Hermione had left.

"Harry, she wouldn't lie to us, she's our best friend," Ron told him, examining the Chess board for his next move.

Ginny sat quietly next to them reading a book, she was hoping they wouldn't ask her input. But of course, those boys could never figure anything out themselves.

"Ginny, what do you think?" Harry asked as Ron moved his Rook within a move of Harry's king.

"Check."

"I don't know, but I'm sure _if_ she's hiding anything, there's a perfectly good explanation," Ginny answered with what she hoped was a neutral answer. To avoid further questions, she excused herself to her dormitory to grab some homework.

After she had gone up the stairs, Ron looked back at Harry, "Do you suppose, maybe we should go check on her?"

"On Ginny?" Harry asked, confused, contemplating any way he could get his king out of Ron's Rook's path.

"No, Harry, not Ginny, _Hermione_," Ron said rolling his eyes.

"Well, I guess, I mean, just to see how she is," Harry answered, moving his king out of striking distance from the Rook.

Ron shook his head and grinned, moved his Bishop across the board and looked up at Harry, "Checkmate."

The Room of Requirements looked how it usually did, with the big couches, the painting and the pumpkin juice. Only this time, Draco was sitting with his legs underneath him on a couch and Hermione was lying down with her head in his lap. They'd been talking about muggle 'cars' when Draco found his opening.

"So, were you afraid of these... _cars_?" He asked

"No, not really, you get used to them after a while," Hermione answered, closing her eyes contentedly.

"Ah, yes, you, Miss Granger, cannot _possibly _have any fears," Draco said, smirking.

Hermione opened her eyes and looked up at him, "Of course I do, I'm only human."

"Ah, pray-tell," Draco prompted.

Hermione pushed herself up until she was sitting sideways on his lap. She lay her head back on a pillow and started thinking of how to answer.

"Well, I guess my biggest fear would have to be failure, obviously. I hate the thought of letting someone down, you know?" she said honestly.

"Ah, yes, that sounds like you," he smiled, "Anything else?"

"Well, all you boys scare me to death," Hermione said, only half joking.

He chuckled, "Oh, and why's that?" he asked, stroking her thigh.

"All the boys in my life seem to love danger. Whether it's going off on _suicide_ missions, breaking any and all rules, or the damn Quidditch you all seem to love so much."

"Quidditch?" Draco asked, "How's that _dangerous_?"

"How?" she asked, raising her eyebrows, "How about because you're hundreds of feet above the _ground_, on a piece of _wood_."

"Ahh, afraid of flying, are we?" Draco asked, crossing his fingers.

"Afraid!" Hermione exclaimed, "Oh I hate it! That flying class first year was the only class I dreaded, besides Potions, but that's just because of Snape."

Draco was jumping for joy on the inside, he'd found it! This was _perfect!_ On the outside, he kept cool, acting like nothing was up, "Snape's really not _that_ bad," he smirked.

"Only to you, Draco," She said, "And I just don't understand why he's always _so_ nice to you, but he-"

Draco found this the perfect time to stop whatever argument was about to come up. He captured her lips with his mid-sentence, and to his relief, she didn't object. After a few minutes of snogging, his hands started to find their way to the bottom of her shirt. In her head, she knew that she should probably say something, but she trusted him, so she just kept kissing him. He swiftly and skillfully lifted off her shirt and threw it on the couch beside them. She was still wearing a white tank top, but he figured he should take it a step at a time for now. He lay her down underneath him, the passion rising between them. A moan escaped Hermione's lips as his tongue massaged hers. She ran her hands through his soft hair and couldn't help but feel completely comfortable. This was _right._ Being with Malfoy was _right_.

Harry and Ron entered the library, they had told Dean and Seamus to tell Ginny that they had gone to get food and would be back in a little while. They looked around; there were only a few people in the front of the library, working on homework or charms. The door shut loudly behind them and Madam Prince shot them a death glare.

"Sorry," Harry whispered.

They kept walking, checking each row of books until they reached the back corner when Hermione usually sat. The only problem was, it was empty.

"Where do you suppose she is, mate?" Ron asked, letting out a deep breath.

"I think that's a question she's going to have to answer later. We'll wait up for her tonight. But until then, shall we hit the kitchens and see what the house elves have right now?" Harry said.

"May as well," Ron agreed.

As they made their way to the kitchens, they were both feeling let down. Their best friend had been lying to them for a while now. They just hoped she had a good reason for it.

Hermione's breath was steadying as she reached the portrait to Gryffindor Tower. She had had a great time again with Malfoy. She couldn't help but be happy when she was with him. She whispered the password and wandered into the common room with a smile on her face. As she walked towards the stairs to dormitory, a voice made her jump.

"Hey, Hermione," came Harry's voice.

"Oh, hi Harry, I didn't know you'd be up," Hermione said, looking around. She saw Ron's head peak around from the chair he was sitting in. She smiled at them, "Well, I should really get to bed, I'll see you guys in the morning," she started heading for the stairs, but was interrupted once again.

"How was the library," Asked Ron, the faintest hint of disappointment in his voice. Hermione, however hadn't noticed.

"It was alright, just reading the new edition of Hogwarts, A History again." When she went to turn again, Harry got up and gently took a hold of her arm.

"Why don't come sit down, 'Mione, let's talk," he suggested sweetly.

With no other choice, she walked over and sat down with them. They sat there in silence for a minute thinking about what to say before Ron broke it.

"Where were you tonight, Hermione?" he asked, his voice pleading.

"I was in the back," She answered, confused, thinking maybe they'd asked someone if they'd seen her again.

"No... you weren't," Harry sighed.

"What do you mean?" she asked, starting to feel nervous.

"We went there looking for you, you weren't there. We looked everywhere Hermione, there's no way you could have been there," Harry answered.

"I-" she started.

"Look, Hermione, we trust you, and we care about you, please just tell us the truth," Ron said.

"I- I'm sorry." She said, tears welling up in her eyes, "I never wanted to lie to you, you're my best friends, and I trust you both more than anything."

"So please, just tell us 'Mione," Ron said quietly.

"I- I can't," She stuttered, her tears were now starting to slowly fall down her face. It hurt her more than anything to not be able to tell them, but she knew they wouldn't understand. "I'm sorry. I- I promise I'll be here, I won't lie to you guys again. But just trust me that I can't tell you where I've been. And trust me when I tell you I need one more night away, after that..." She took a deep breath, thinking about the consequences of what she was about to say, "After that, I won't go out late at night anymore, I won't lie to you," she was full out crying now.

"Mione, we trust you, but-" Harry started.

"No, you're right and I'm sorry. I have to go to bed now, I'll see you in the morning," with that, she went up to her room, and collapsed on her bed, not even noticing that Ginny was sitting there, waiting for her.

"Hermione...?" she asked.

"Not right now Ginny, I can't, please just go to bed," Hermione said defeatedly through her tears.

Ginny got up, understanding that Hermione needed time, "Goodnight, Hermione," She said, giving her a hug and leaving, closing the bed hanging behind her.

Hermione cried herself to sleep, thinking about what she had to do.

When Draco arrived back to his dormitory, Blaise was sitting on his bed staring at something.

"What's up with you?" Draco asked.

"There's a letter here for you," Blaise answered, looking up at him.

"Who's it from?" Draco asked, wondering why Blaise cared that there was a letter for him.

"Your father," Blaise said. Draco took a deep breath and walked over to Blaise, taking the letter Blaise was holding out for him.

He opened it, sitting down so he and Blaise could both read it.

_Draco:_

_I hope all is going well at __**school**__. I hope nothing has gone __**wrong**__. Everything is going well with the __**ladies**__ I presume. I must insist that you __**meet**__ with me_ _tonight. You know __**where**__ and __**when**__._ _Please come alone, I wish to __**speak**_ _with you in private. Do __**not**__ be late and make sure you have the __**answers**__ I'm looking for. See you later._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucius Malfoy_

Draco folded the letter back up and threw it onto his dresser. "Fuck him," he said, "I hate him. He can't even come out and say what he means, he writes letters like they're going to be read by everyone, making sure I'm the only one who understands them. I can tell it's going to be a _fun_ night."

"It can't be _too_ bad, I mean you really have made a lot of progress on Granger, and it's not even Halloween yet," Blaise offered, trying to help.

"Whatever, I just hate heeding to his every wish," Draco said maliciously, "I'll be glad when he's gone."

Blaise threw a pillow at him, "You can't say that, he's still your father."

"Yeah, what a great _father_ he was," Draco said.

Blaise smirked and hit Draco over the head, "Get over it, mate. Anyways, it's already 11:30, you should probably get going, _I_ wouldn't want to make him mad if I were you."

Draco sighed and rolled off his bed, "Right. See you later."

Draco walked quietly out of the school and headed down towards the Forbidden Forrest. He wandered to the clearing about a quarter mile into the Forrest where he'd meet his father.

"Cutting it close," came Lucius's voice.

"I'm sorry, father, I only just arrived back to my dormitory," Draco answered.

"Ah, and what would one be doing out after hours?" Lucius asked, stepping out of the shadows where he had been, and into the moonlight.

Draco shivered inside. He always hated being alone with his father, nothing good ever came of it. He knew he would just be reprimanded for what he _hadn't_ done instead of praised for what he _had_ done.

"I was with the Granger girl, working on my task," he told him.

"Ah, yes. And how is the Mudblood?" Lucius asked, smirking.

Draco clenched his teeth without thinking and then, regaining his head, answered, "Things are going well, I believe she trusts me, and by Halloween I will prove it to you."

"Very good, but I must insist that you hurry things up, Halloween is only a week away and I very much hope that what you're telling me is true," Lucius warned, "I think you'll be excited to know that I have some good news for you, Draco," Lucius grinned, "The Dark Lord has very high expectations for you, as do I. I intend for you to follow in my footsteps, to be the Dark Lord's right hand man. I've made an exceptional head start for your life, boy. So to prove your loyalty and to get yourself ready for what lies ahead for you, the Dark Lord will be holding your initiation on New Years," he was grinning from ear to ear.

Draco was a bit surprised, he knew it would come eventually, but this just seemed too close. He never thought he'd get his Dark Mark before he was even out of Hogwarts, especially only halfway through his sixth year. Nevertheless, he had to pretend he was happy about it.

"That sounds wonderful, father. I am honored that the Dark Lord thinks I am ready," Draco answered monotonously, his face expressionless.

"Don't disappoint him Draco, don't disappoint _me_," Lucius warned, "This is the best thing that could happen to you."

"Yes father, I know. Thank you," Draco replied.

"Now that you understand what lies in the near future, I must reiterate the importance of completing your task. When all is said and done and your entire task is completed, the outcome will change everything. I must insist that you try to make headway on the second part of your task. You must try to get closer to Potter. By Halloween, I expect you to at _least_ have a plan, if not already have your plan set in action. Now, I must be going. Remember Draco, we're counting on you," Lucius said.

"Yes, father. Goodbye," Draco replied.

Lucius nodded his head and apparated out of the Forrest.

Draco stood there for a minute, letting out a deep breath. He still didn't know why all this was important to whatever 'master plan' the Dark Lord had, but he could tell that it was very important. The thought of becoming a Death Eater already almost made him sick, he scowled, turning around and heading back to the school.

The next morning, Hermione was sitting with Ron and Harry at breakfast. There was a bit of an uncomfortable silence between the three because of their talk the night before. The boys were still curious since she hadn't really given them any information other than the fact that she had been lying to them and sneaking around behind their backs. Of course, they wanted to trust her because they had always known her as someone who was _completely_ trustworthy.

Hermione had been quiet all morning because she knew what she had to do later. It killed her, but her friends were the most important people in her life. She couldn't let them down and sneak around anymore. She had only two choices, and they both had their drawbacks. She could either break it off with Malfoy, which she hated to even think of because of how wonderful everything had been, or she had to tell Harry and Ron everything, which could potentially ruin their friendship. It would have been one thing if she had been sneaking around for a good, moral cause, but she had a feeling that telling them she'd been off with their enemy may make them lose all trust in her, and the possibility of losing them scared her to death. _Both_ options scared her to death.

"I reckon we should go to the library for a little while, we have a 18 inch essay due in Charms by Monday that will probably take a good couple of hours," Harry said, trying to break the uneasy tension that had built up.

"That was assigned _last_ Monday," Hermione said incredulously, as if it shouldn't even have been a question that they'd already done most of it. Of course, remembering whom it was she was talking to, she sighed and said, "You're probably right, I'll work on the Potions essay that's due Wednesday. That way if you need help with Charms, I'll still be there."

"Right, we might want to think about that Potions essay too, I guess," Ron added, hoping to actually sound like he cared about his work.

It was an attempt at a conversation, but talking none the less.

"Hey guys," Ginny said, plopping down next to Hermione.

"Hey, Ginny," Hermione said, glad someone else had came.

They talked for a while, Ginny apparently breaking the ice between the three. They even laughed at one of Ginny's jokes together. By the time they were on their way to the library, most of the tension seemed to be gone.

Draco had been watching Hermione that morning at breakfast. She had seemed nervous and tense. It had looked like there was a lot on her mind. The two body guards sitting across from her had also seemed uneasy. The whole picture had looked slightly awkward, but she'd probably tell him about it later. When the red-headed Weaselette came and joined them, things seemed to have gone better. After he watched them get up and leave, he had a strong urge to follow them. He wanted to see Granger, make sure they had plans for that night, and for a little amusement for himself, see the look on Potter and Weasley's faces when he came up and talked to her.

"Later, Blaise," Draco said, not even looking at him as he got up and followed Hermione and her friends out of the Great Hall, staying a hallway back for the time being. As he turned the corner to the library, he felt a hand of his shoulder.

He turned around and came face to face with Pansy.

He rolled his eyes, "What do you want, Pansy?"

She batted her eyelashes at him, trying to be flirty, "Oh, Draco, don't sound so excited," she joked, "It's just been so long since I've seen you lately," she walked closer to him, practically brushing up against him now.

"I've been busy," He said, getting annoyed with her already.

She pouted, sticking out her bottom lip "Oh Draco, you were never too busy for me before."

"Things change Pansy, it's been three years since we were together," Draco said, unbelieving that she thought that he could _possibly_ still like her. He could admit it, at one time he did actually like her. He'd known her all his life, grown up with her as a child. But people change. They'd both changed and he hardly even saw her anymore, much less thought about her.

"Three,_ long_, years," she whispered slowly in his ear.

Draco pushed her back a little gently, "Look, Pansy, we're over, okay? It was nice talking to you again, but I really have to go."

"It's never really been over, Draco, you proved that to me last summer," Pansy said as he started to turn around.

"I'm sorry Pansy, but it is now," He answered, walking away towards the library doors. When he reached them he realized she hadn't moved from where she'd been standing yet.

"You know that's not true, Draco. If I wait long enough, you'll come back." With that, she turned on her heal and walked away.

He knew his words had probably hurt her, she'd always been obsessed with him, but she needed to hear them. The only reason he had hooked up with her that summer was because she was there, available, and even though he hated to say it, she was easy, and honestly, not that bad of a lay. But that was done now, and he hoped somehow, she'd realize that.

He let out a deep breath and walked into the library. About halfway back he saw Hermione and her friends sitting at a table working on their essays. He walked up with a smirk on his face and stopped behind Hermione. The boys looked up and shot him a glare.

"What do _you_ want, Malfoy?" Ron spat.

"Nothing from you, Weasley," He sneered.

Hermione stiffened, hearing his voice.

"I just wanted to talk with Granger for a minute," he said, smirking at the looks Harry and Ron were giving him.

"Don't even-" Harry started before Hermione interrupted him.

"Is it about the Arithmancy essay?" she asked, trying to keep neutral.

"Yes," Draco said, going along with it.

"I'll be right back," she told Harry and Ron, giving them apologetic looks.

"It's just this book I found..." the boys heard Draco telling her, leading her off behind a book shelf.

Once out of sight of Harry and Ron, Draco picked Hermione up and kissed her passionately. She kissed back momentarily until she remembered that she actually needed to talk to him. She pulled back and he set her down. He could tell something was up.

"What's wrong?" He asked, studying her.

"I can't tell you right now, but I'll meet you at eight in the Room of Requirements," she whispered. There was a hint of pain in her voice that he detected, but he figured they'd talk about it later.

"Alright," he said reassuringly.

"I should get back," she looked down.

"I'll see you later," Draco said. He smiled at her with that soul melting smile, and picked out a random book. He lifted her chin and gave her a kiss. With that, he walked away, leaving her there to go back to her friends.

Only slightly confused looks met her when she got back, but blowing it off as a class thing mildly eased their concerns.

As Hermione sat up in her room later that night around 7:30, she still couldn't bare to go through with this. She was aware that whatever she did, someone would get hurt. Unfortunately she knew things couldn't be easy, not with the way the last five years had gone. She knew that these were difficult times and she had to do what she had to do. She got up and with a deep breath, walked out the door and headed up to the room of Requirements.


	11. Her Decision

Chapter 11: Her Decision

Draco walked up to the Room of Requirements with his hands in his pockets, going through different things that could be troubling Hermione. Girls were often over-dramatic, maybe it wasn't even that big of a deal, though she had seemed like there was quite a debate going on in her head earlier. He opened the door to reveal Hermione sitting on the couch. She had never gotten there before him, yet there she was, sitting on the edge of the couch, hands in her lap, and a forced half smile on her lips.

Something was definitely wrong.

He walked in and sat down next to her, giving her a kiss on her cheek, since she was now looking down at the floor with a dazed look on her face. Draco took her hand and turned her chin until she was looking at him.

"Hey," he said softly, smiling at her. He hoped he could help with whatever was wrong.

She gave him another half smile and stood up. He cocked his head to the side, watching her.

"Draco, I need to talk to you," she said, sounding like she was still gathering her thoughts.

Draco stood up and walked closer to her, taking her hand in his again.

"What's wrong, is there anything I can do?" Draco asked.

He noticed tears start to well up in Hermione's eyes.

"Yes, something's wrong," she said, pulling her hand back slowly. She looked down, unable to meet his gaze, "I'm sorry," she whispered, her words barely audible.

"For what?" He asked, confused, "You have nothing to be sorry for," he didn't know what was bothering her, but all he wanted to do right now was to comfort her, wipe away her tears, make her smile.

"Everything," she said, "I should have known this would happen, it's all my fault and I'm so sorry," she collapsed back onto the couch, tears falling quickly down her cheeks. She buried her head in her hands.

"Granger, talk to me, tell me what's wrong," Draco said, his heart beating faster in his chest. He walked over and sat down next to her. He could tell that this was hard for her, but she still hadn't told him what was going on.

"Malfoy, I can't do this anymore," she said quietly, looking up to meet his gaze.

"What?" he asked, sure he had heard her incorrectly.

"This, you and me, I can't do this anymore, and I'm so sorry," she cried, burying her head back into her hands.

Draco stood up, fists balled, his anger flaring up. "What do you mean you can't _do_ this?" he asked through clenched teeth, trying to control his temper. Unfortunately, he had his father's short temper, though he really was trying to suppress it.

"I'm sorry," was all she could get out. She was trying to calm down, but she could see the fire in his eyes.

"You've said that already, Granger, you're going to have to be a _bit _more specific," Draco said, his voice chillingly calm.

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to calm herself, she knew she'd have to give him answers.

"We could never work, Malfoy, we're too different, we come from different backgrounds, we have different friends, different beliefs, morals, views, you name it," she said, it was a lame excuse, but it was true.

"Come on Granger, you can do better than that," Draco said, his eyes flaring with anger. It's how he'd always dealt with pain.

Hermione stood, up, walking closer to him, "We can't keep going behind people's backs, lying to people, keeping this a secret, it's just too... hard," she said, her voice pleading with him to understand.

"_Hard?"_ he said incredulously.

"Yes, hard!" she exclaimed, tears reforming in her eyes, "I can't lie to my best friends anymore, they're asking too many questions, they _know_ I've been lying to them, I can't live with that!"

"You're being selfish," he let out a low, hollow laugh that made her shiver, "You think _you're_ the only one this is hard for!" he asked a bit louder, the calmness in his voice faltering, "You don't think this is hard for me, also!" his voice had risen another notch, "Has it occurred to you that maybe you're not the only one getting suspicious questions, doubting looks, _knowing_ stares. Friends know when something's going on, and I _know_ it's hard to keep it a secret, that's just an obstacle we were faced with, you're not the only one in this," he was now talking much louder, the fire completely obvious in his eyes and his expression. What he was saying may not have been _completely_ true, but it sure as hell _was_ hard for him.

"Malfoy, I just can't do it anymore, I love my friends too much to lie to them, to lose their trust-" she was saying, before he cut her off.

"I'm glad you love your friends, that's how it's _supposed_ to be, but what about _us_, what about _me_? Isn't that what this is about? Aren't we in this _together_?" he yelled at her incredulously.

She stood there in silence, looking down at the floor.

"Don't you give a _shit_ about me?" he asked, his voice lower, but the anger was still evident.

"Malfoy, I do, but-" she started, looking back at him.

He took a step closer to her, closing to gap between them. His eyes bore into hers, his last words were mere whispers, "Don't bother, if you can't _do_ this anymore," he paused, watching a stray tear make its path down her already tear-stained face, "Then we're done." Though his eyes were filled with fire, his voice could not have been any colder in that moment.

He backed away from her, shaking his head and walking to the door. He turned around once more to look at her, standing there looking completely lost and alone, he pulled the door open and left, slamming it shut behind him.

Hermione stood there paralyzed, before her legs gave way, landing her back on the couch. She couldn't even cry anymore. That certainly wasn't the reaction she was expecting. She felt lonely without him being there, cold without his arms around her. She stayed there for a while, unable to move, unable to think; just laying there, staring up into nothing.

As Draco walked back to the Slytherin common room, he was absolutely furious. He couldn't even believe it, how could she have the nerve to end things with _him_! He was Draco Malfoy, girls did not _leave him_. He walked into his room, finding Crabbe, Goyle and Blaise all in there.

"Get the hell out," He said in a low, dangerous voice.

Crabbe and Goyle quickly got up and left the room without a word. Draco looked at Blaise, realizing he just wasn't going to leave. He slammed the door, kicking it as hard as he could when it was shut.

"I think you got it, mate, it's shut," Blaise said, studying Draco.

Draco turned around and glared at Blaise, "I'm really not in the mood." He walked over and plopped down on his back on his bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to make the anger subside. But he just kept thinking about it and the more the thought about it, the angrier it made him. Why did he even care?

"Talk to me, Drake," Blaise said, sitting down on the end of the bed.

"I'm really not in the mood," Draco said again.

"I don't care," Blaise said bluntly, "Tell me what happened."

Draco sighed, not moving to sit up, or taking his eyes off the ceiling, "It's done with Granger, I'm sending an owl to my father tomorrow to set up a meeting to tell him I'm not doing this," Draco said monotonously.

"Don't be stupid, Draco, he'd kill you," Blaise said, not doubting that Lucius actually _might_ kill him.

"I don't care, it's just not going to happen," Draco told him.

"I thought things were going good?" Blaise asked, confused.

"They were, then I'm guessing her little _body guards_ said something to her," Draco said maliciously.

"Why's that?" Blaise asked.

Draco told him everything that had been said between him and Hermione in the Room of Requirements, keeping his voice neutral and his eyes expressionless.

"She obviously still wants to be with you, if she was that upset about it," Blaise said.

"Yeah well that's part of the problem, Blaise, she wasn't the only one who cared," Draco's words hung in the air, slowly sinking in to both boys' heads.

Draco hadn't been able to say it before, he'd kept making up excuses, but there was no other way to explain why he had been so mad, so _hurt_, then the truth. He _did_ care.

"You can't let that get in the way," Blaise said uncertainly. He had known all along that Draco had started to actually care for her, but he also thought that he'd never admit it to himself, much less anyone else.

"You don't understand, Malfoys don't _get_ emotionally involved," Draco said, turning on his side and punching his pillow.

"Drake, it happens man, but seriously, don't tell your father you won't finish the task, I'll help you, we'll think of something," Blaise said, hoping Draco would come to his senses.

"You just don't get it, it's done, I quit, it's fucking _over_, I'm telling him I'm finished with this," Draco reached under this night stand, unlocking the cabinet underneath and grabbing a bottle of Firewhiskey. He pushed himself off the bed and walked out of the room, slamming the door as he left.

Blaise sighed, damn Draco for being so thick headed sometimes.

Draco walked down to the common room, taking a swig from the bottle for every little thing that was bugging him.

_Damn Granger for ending it_, gulp_. Damn Blaise for thinking I can fix this,_ gulp_. Damn Lucius for getting me into all of this, _gulp_. _

He tripped a bit down the stairs, grabbing the railing for support.

_Damn her little 'friends' for getting involved, _gulp_. Damn _me_ for caring, _he took a bigger gulp, and just kept chugging thinking of all the smaller things._ For Granger caring, for the passion between us, for letting myself get into this, for the Dark Lord and this stupid task_...

"Whoa!" Draco exclaimed and he tripped down the last five steps, landing in a heap at the bottom. The bottle slipped out of his hands and spilled all over the floor.

"Shit," he muttered, trying to stand up. He grabbed his wand out of his pocket and pointed it at the now Firewhiskey-drenched floor, "Scourgify," he slurred, cleaning it up. He grabbed the bottle, which only held about a shot or two left anyways, and downed it, throwing the empty bottle as hard as he could at the wall opposite him. It crashed against the wall, breaking into hundreds of little pieces. He walked into the empty common room, lying down on the couch, trying not to think.

"Draco?" A soft female voice cut through his head.

He groaned, a headache already starting to form just from her voice.

"Draco is that you?" She said again.

"What do you want Pansy?" he asked, his hands over his eyes.

"I- I just heard you come down and I thought you might want some company," she said, walking over to him, wearing a silk low cut nightgown that ended around mid-thigh.

Draco sighed, his mind already clouding over from the alcohol. "Not really," he told her.

"Don't be silly, Draco," she said, lying down with him.

He was in no condition to object, so he lazily threw his arm over her, closing his eyes.

Pansy sighed contentedly, "I told you you'd come back," she whispered.

"I'm not coming back, Pansy, you're simply here and I'm not in the mood for another fight tonight," he slurred tiredly.

He heard her shift uncomfortably, but she didn't get up, "Well whatever it is, I'm just happy being with you right now," she said quietly.

Draco woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. He looked down to see Pansy still sleeping next to him. He groaned, thinking about the events of the night before. At least he'd made one person happy. He got up quietly, picking Pansy up in his arms and since he couldn't go up to the girl's dormitories due to charms forbidding it, he carried her up to his room, stopping for a minute to clean up the shattered bottle he'd thrown, and set her on his bed, he'd let her sleep until she wanted to get up. He went into the bathroom to take a nice hot shower. By the time he returned to his room with a towel wrapped around his waist, she'd already woken up.

"Morning," she yawned.

"Morning," he said, grabbing some clothes out of the closet and setting them on his bed.

"How are you feeling this morning," she asked, pulling off the blankets and grabbing one of Draco's robes out of his closet.

"Fine," he said shortly.

"Alright," she said, putting on the robe and heading towards the door, "If you need anything, Draco, let me know," she offered.

He turned towards her, "Thanks Pansy," he said, giving her a half smile.

"I'll see you around," before she shut the door behind her, she looked back at him, "And thanks."

Pansy left and headed back to her room.

Draco shook his head, it was amazing that just because he'd let her stay with him, she was happy. But then again, he felt that way around Granger lately too. They didn't have to be kissing, he didn't have to be getting information out of her for his task, he just had to be with her, talking or just sitting, and he'd be happy.

"Damnit," He cursed himself for thinking about it, pulling on his clothes and heading to the owlery to send an owl to his father. It was a Sunday, so afterwards he'd probably just head back to his dorm to finish up some last minute assignments and hang out with Blaise until he met his father.

Hermione had returned to Gryffindor Tower after hours of just sitting in the Room of Requirements. Luckily, no one was waiting in the common room for her that time. When she reached her room, however, she found Ginny waiting for her on her bed. Her eyes were still puffy and red from crying, and she couldn't even muster a greeting, let alone a smile.

Ginny was sitting on her bed with her arms out for her. She hugged her, trying not to let the pain come back to her. After a minute she pulled back.

"Harry and Ron told me they went to the library looking for you. They told me about the conversation," Ginny said, watching her.

"Yeah," she said in a strained voice.

"What did you decide to do? Are you going to tell them?" Ginny asked softly.

"Ginny- I can't tell them, they'd never understand, they'd never talk to me, or even look at me again. And they certainly wouldn't trust me," Hermione said. She hadn't thought that she'd be able to cry again for a while, but oh was she wrong. Just talking about it, the tears came back.

"So you ended it with Malfoy?" Ginny asked quietly.

Hermione just nodded, not daring to speak.

Ginny put her arms around her, trying to calm her down, "Shh, it's alright, Hermione, it's going to be okay."

Ginny stayed with her for a while, listening when Hermione would talk, and just sitting there comforting her when she couldn't. It was very late when Hermione had finally fallen asleep. Ginny left quietly, careful not to wake her back up; she'd had a long night.

The next morning Hermione woke up and went down to breakfast early, to avoid having to see everyone. She'd decided to spend the day working on next week's homework to get her mind off things, she figured later she'd go down to hang out with everyone else.

The clock was nearing midnight which was when Draco had planned to meet his father.

"Well, Blaise, looks like I'm off," He said to his friend, grabbing his cloak.

"You're being stupid, Drake," Blaise said shaking his head, "Nothing good is going to come of this."

"I'm sorry Blaise, but it's just a risk I'm going to have to take, I'm done with all of this," Draco said, leaving the room.

Blaise sighed, he figured he probably wouldn't come back that night, either because Lucius actually _would _kill him, which he wouldn't put past him, or Draco would go elsewhere. He didn't usually come back to the dorm if he'd had a bad meeting with his father, his pride was too big, didn't like his friends seeing him hurt.

Draco walked down towards the Forbidden Forrest, his heart rate speeding up. _This is a bad idea_, he thought to himself. Blaise was right, of course, this wouldn't be good. But he'd made up his mind, he couldn't do this, not if he was getting too involved, he couldn't let that happen, _wouldn't_ let that happen. He was out, calling it quits, _finished_.


	12. Another Meeting

Chapter 12: Another Meeting

Draco reached the clearing about five to midnight. He looked around, his father wasn't there yet. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. He leaned on a nearby tree, hands in his pockets, and closed his eyes, trying to gather his thoughts. What the hell was he thinking coming out here, he couldn't turn back now though. He was trying to figure out what he would say when a smooth voice cut through his thoughts.

"Good evening, Draco," Lucius said.

Draco's eyes shot open at the sudden noise. His father always seemed to enter quietly. He stood up straight, and gave a curt nod to Lucius.

"Good evening, father," he said, still in the process of deciding what to say.

"I assume you have something to talk about, seeing as we had no original plans to meet tonight," Lucius said, getting straight to the point.

"Yes, father... I do," Draco started. He opened his mouth to tell him, but he couldn't find the right words to say.

"Well, get on with it," Lucius prompted, he was not one for wasting time.

"Father, forgive me, but-" he cut off again, gathering all his courage, standing up a little straighter and looking his father in the eye, "forgive me," he said again, stronger this time, "But I can't keep going with this," he finally got out.

"Excuse me?" Lucius said, sure he had heard wrong.

"I'm sorry father, but you've got the wrong person, I can't finish this task," Draco said.

"What is this nonsense you're telling me?" Lucius said in a dangerous tone.

"I said-" Draco started to repeat himself.

"I heard you, boy, but I cannot believe that you would allow those words to come out of your mouth. I have taught you better than that. You surely do not believe that you are getting anywhere with this ploy," Lucius said disbelievingly.

"Father, I must insist that you find someone more qualified-"

"_Qualified_?" Lucius said indignantly, "Who more qualified to woo a lady than my son? A _Malfoy_?"

"It is not possible with this girl-" Draco attempted, but failing again.

"This girl? It should _not_ matter who the girl is, you are a _Malfoy_," Lucius said, his face turning red from anger, "What happened to things going good, Draco? I was under the impression, from your information that things were going fine!"

"They were at first, but now there are problems, and I just can't finish this, she's stubborn and annoying, and... and she talks too much, and I can't work with her," Draco said lamely.

"I'm disappointed, Draco, very disappointed. Not only that, but I'm sure when I tell the Dark Lord of your decision, he will be very disappointed as well," Lucius started walking around Draco, his voice was cold and malicious, "And what did I tell you about letting us down, Draco? I told you it was simply not acceptable. I stand by my word," Lucius stopped when he was facing Draco again.

Draco knew what was coming, he had grown accustomed to punishment when things were not going his father's way. Some curses he had almost grown numb to, the pain was familiar. But lately, when things were really bad, he had learned that his father was quite creative when it came to dark curses. Each one was worse than the last. He was sure that 'letting down the Dark Lord' did not show up on the 'Go Easy on Draco' list. Draco held his head high, awaiting what was to come.

"Crucio!" Lucius said in a low, disappointed voice. As he watched Draco shake and writher in pain, he started walking around him again, "Now Draco, I'm sure you didn't mean what you said, so I'll try to be fair with you," he said. He stopped, saying the countercurse.

Draco rolled onto his stomach and sat up onto his hands and knees, his heart was beating at a rapid pace, so loud he was sure someone at the castle must hear it. He tried to catch his breath, and slowly made his way to his feet.

"Now Draco, I hope you're simply not bowing out because you're scared," Lucius said.

"No father, of course not. I just don't feel I can accomplish what you want of me," Draco offered, wincing at the leftover feeling of the curse.

"I know that you can, which is why I simply cannot figure out _why_ you are even bringing such a topic up," Lucius told him.

"Father, the Mudblood is impossible," Draco defended.

"You're not hiding anything from me, are you Draco?" Lucius said cynically.

"Of course not, father," Draco faltered, with the slightest hesitation.

Lucius had caught the stumble, "You can't lie to me Draco, I won't have it, _Legimens!"_ he said.

Memories and scenes flew through his head, _His father was telling him about his task. It was the first time he'd gotten Granger alone. Their first kiss. Their long talks. The passion rising between them._

Draco tried closing his mind, but Lucius was just too strong.

_A Dream he'd had about her, (that was not so PG-13)._ Finally, the recent events played through his head, _The fight between Draco and Hermione. He was in his room talking to Blaise. The last words of his memories he heard were "Well that's part of the problem, Blaise, she wasn't the only one who cared_."

"No!" Draco screamed, though it was too late. The damage had been done. He was on his knees again, weak from trying to fight his father. He couldn't even look up, didn't even want to look at him.

"Ah, so the truth comes out," Lucius's voice was cold with fury, "My son... has fallen for a _Mudblood_!" He looked disgusted with the thought of it.

Draco looked up at his father, he remembered a time when he was a small child, when he'd compared his eyes to his father's, they used to have the same deep, silver eyes. Now though, all traces of comparison were gone. Lucius's eyes were not deep or silver, they were shallow, closed off, and had turned more of a shade of grey, there was no sparkle in those eyes, just hatred and evil.

Draco couldn't even say anything, there was nothing _to_ say that would make a difference.

"You want to _care_ about a _Mudblood_!" Lucius said, a look of pure loathing on his face, "We'll see about that," His mouth curved up into a sinister smirk as he raised his wand.

Draco lowered his head and attempted to brace himself for whatever curses his father had came up with now. He wasn't ready for this one.

"_Seco!"_ Lucius yelled.

Cuts started appearing all over Draco, he used all his strength not to yell out in pain from the repetitive stinging slashes. He watched with blurring eyes as blood streaked mockingly slow down his arms. He could taste it in his mouth where it had fell from the few cuts that had opened on his face.

Then as soon as it had started, it was over. No new cuts were forming and the ones that had been previously taunting him were gone without a single sign that they'd ever been there. He could still feel the stinging pain from the cuts as if they were still there, but Lucius had made sure this curse did not show its affects afterward. He looked up at his father who was staring down at him, his expression emotionless.

"Maybe some ice would help with that, or maybe some heat," Lucius said darkly.

Before Draco could even catch his breath from the last hit, Lucius had already raised his wand again.

"_Glacialis Exuro!"_ He yelled.

Draco had never felt pain like this before. Compared to this, the cuts were nothing. He felt like he was freezing inside, every part of him shutting down, but a few seconds later he would be burning inside, like every muscle, every organ had caught on fire, then it would go back to freezing. He lost track after the first few times it did this, but every time brought more intensity than the last until he felt like he would freeze to death or burn to death at any given time. And by the end of it, he wished he had so he wouldn't have to be in that kind of pain.

Lucius finally lifted the curse after what seemed like a life time, Draco had been yelling out in pain and agony for the last few minutes until he was not able to yell anymore. Draco lay on the ground, unmoving. He was still alive, of course, but he would not be getting up for a long time.

Lucius bent down right next to Draco's ear, "You will finish your task, you will _not_ care for this Mudblood, and there will be no more dispute about it," He told him callously. Draco's eyelids fluttered as if he were trying to open them, but could not.

Convinced that Draco had heard his threat, Lucius stood up, and took a step back from Draco, "We will meet again to check on your progress soon," he said with a note of finality, not even a hint of regret or guilt in his tone or expression, but that's how it'd always been. With that, he apparated from the Forrest.

Draco's eyes opened slowly, taking in his surroundings. He was still in the Forrest. He sat up, his head pounding. Every inch of his body ached, and it hurt to even be awake. He wondered how long he'd been laying there. Holding a tree for support he slowly stood up, the Forrest moving in his dizzy vision. He made his way up to the castle, stumbling every few steps. He couldn't go back to his dormitory, he wanted to be alone. He went to the first place he could think of where he could get away from everyone. His feet took him up to the Room of Requirements and he stopped in front of the bare wall.

"_I need somewhere comfortable,"_ He thought, walking past the wall three times. He had been getting weaker since he had gotten up. The stress and pain of just standing, let alone walking was too much, he needed to lie down. The door appeared and he opened it to reveal something he had not expected.

Sitting not twenty feet away, eyes shooting up to lock with his, was Hermione.

His eyes blurred and his world blacked out again as he fell to the floor unconscious.


	13. Sorting Out

Chapter 13: Sorting Out

Hermione had been a bit out of it all day on Sunday. She'd done her work and studied as she had planned and gone down to the common room to hang out with Harry, Ron and Ginny, but it had all been mechanical. She had been quieter than she usually was around her friends, not once mentioning how they _should_ be doing their thirteen inch Transfiguration Essay that was due on Tuesday that she had surely already done. She also hadn't commented on the unnecessarily long discussion on the Puddlemere United team record thus far and the different strategies that could have helped them beat the Wimbourne Wasps.

During dinner, Hermione had found her eyes drifting over to the Slytherin table, looking for a certain Platinum-haired boy. Although each time she reached the same conclusion that he was not there. The boys tried to include her in the conversation at one point, but receiving an incredulous look as to why they would be asking her about Quidditch, they shrugged off her quietness as being topic related.

Towards the end of dinner, Dumbledore stood up at the Professors' table to address the students. As people noticed him waiting, the Great Hall grew quiet.

"I hope you all had an enjoyable dinner," He started, a certain sparkle in his eyes, "I have an announcement to make. As of last night, though I'm aware it is short notice, we decided to hold a Halloween Ball Saturday night."

Murmurs of excitement were heard throughout the hall, mostly from the girls.

"Although we do not usually hold trips during the school week, we have decided to allow it considering the circumstances. Accordingly, there will be a Hogsmeade trip this Wednesday afternoon after classes," He smiled at his students and their excitement, "Have a good evening, pip pip!"

With that, everyone went back to talking and gossiping about the upcoming Ball.

"Bloody brilliant," Ron muttered.

"Awe Ron, come off it," Harry said jovially.

"You don't have to wear dress robes that _look_ like a dress," Ron said grumpily.

"Ron, I'm going to buy you new dress robes and I won't take no for an answer, consider it a Christmas present," Harry said, trying to cheer up his friend.

Ginny rolled her eyes, "Oh you boys! This is a _Halloween_ Ball, you don't wear dress robes, you wear costumes!"

"Oh, right then, Ron, I'm buying you a _costume,_" Harry said.

"No, Harry, I don't want you to buy me anything," Ron told him.

"I don't care what you say, mate, I'm buying you one and I'll take it as a personal insult if you don't wear it," Harry grinned.

Ron sighed, admitting defeat. He really didn't want Harry to buy him anything, but Harry was being quite persistent, "Fine," Ron told him, pushing the remainder of his food around on his plate.

"Oh Hermione, I'm so excited, I can't wait to go shopping!" Ginny squealed, trying to get some reaction out of her friend.

"What?" Hermione said, coming out of her daze, "Oh, right, shopping, for the Ball, yes we'll have to do that on Wednesday."

Ginny sent a concerned look towards Hermione, but didn't push anything.

Once back in Gryffindor Tower, they continued to talk about Quidditch, the Ball, and everything else under the sun. Ginny had become aware of Hermione's downcast mood, though Hermione was trying to hide it, Ginny had a keen sense for that sort of thing.

"Hey, guys, I think Hermione and I are going to go out for a while to gossip and such," Ginny grinned, looking at Harry and Ron who nodded their heads, unaware of the real reason Ginny was taking Hermione somewhere else.

"Alright, have fun, we'll see you tomorrow, I think we're going to head upstairs for the night," Harry said, giving Ginny a kiss and dragging Ron upstairs with him.

Hermione wasn't really paying much attention to the conversation until Ginny had told the boys that they were leaving. She was thankful that Ginny had noticed that she wasn't really in the mood for sitting around the common room that night. She followed Ginny out of the Portrait hole and down the corridor.

"Anywhere in particular you want to go?" Ginny asked.

"I just need to lie down and get things out of my head, but I hate to just go to my room where I'm sure Lavender and Parvati are gossiping and deciding which lipgloss shade looks better," Hermione rolled her eyes, "Why don't we go up to the Room of Requirement, it's quiet in there."

They headed up to the seventh floor, walking past the door three times thinking, "_I need somewhere comfortable."_ They opened the door, finding it empty. They plopped down on the couches and sat there thinking for a while. After taking her time, Hermione told Ginny all about the fight she had had with Malfoy the night before. She told her how upset he had been, how angry he had been, how it had killed her to do it.

"He's not like they think he is, not like anyone thinks he is," Hermione said.

Ginny nodded, listening to her friend, not wanting to interrupt.

"And I could tell he cared, Ginny, I really could. There was just something so different about him. Something forbidden, yet necessary. I hate this, not being able to see him and knowing he's angry with me. I doubt he'll ever look at me again." Hermione didn't have any tears left to cry, she just had thoughts that needed to get out.

"Well, Hermione maybe what you did is for the best. I mean it couldn't have worked out, he's a Malfoy, everything you're against, and he's been a git to you all these years. I hate to see you hurt, but I'm sure things will be alright eventually," She said comfortingly.

"I know, Gin, this is what I need, there was no other way. It just doesn't feel right. Whenever I was with him, I felt like I was _supposed_ to be there, like nothing else mattered," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"It's going to be okay, Hermione, and I'm going to be here for you all the way, and you know Harry and Ron are there for you too. They might not know the story, but they're there if you need to get your mind off it, or talk to someone, you know they're there," Ginny reassured her friend.

"You're right," Hermione smiled, "That's why I did this, because I need them to be there for me and I can't stand the thought of jeopardizing that."

"Well, Hermione, it's getting late, I'm going to head back, do you want to come with me, or are you going to stay here for a while?" Ginny asked.

"I think I'll stay here for a little while, I'll be back up soon, I just need to lie down for a few minutes," Hermione told her.

"Alright, but it's already close to one, so don't be too long," Ginny said, "See you tomorrow."

"Night Gin," Hermione said, sitting up.

Ginny left, leaving Hermione to her thoughts. She sat there for a while, memories and thoughts flooding her head. Just as she was thinking about leaving, the door opened. Her eyes shot to the person who had intruded on her space. There, standing about twenty feet away from her was the one and only Draco Malfoy. Their eyes locked for a few seconds.

Before she could even say anything, Draco collapsed in the doorway.

"Malfoy!" Hermione gasped, rushing over to him.

She shook him, but he didn't stir. She pulled him into the room, shutting the door, and over to a couch. It was quite a task, but she managed to get him lying on the couch. She kneeled down next to him.

"Malfoy, can you hear me?" She asked, shaking his shoulders. He didn't move.

"Malfoy!" She exclaimed, becoming quite concerned about the boy lying in front of her.

She put her head in her hands, unsure of what to do. She should get him to Madam Pomfrey, but it was way past curfew. She took out her wand and pointed it at him, "_Ineverate_." She muttered.

Draco's eyes fluttered but didn't open. Hermione took a deep breath, deciding there was nothing she could do at the moment except wait. There was no way she was going to leave him like this. Looking at him there didn't seem to be any sign of injury, a scrape or two, but that's all. From the looks of it he'd been rolling around on the ground, which was hardly cause for his current state. She decided she'd try to ask him what had happened later, after he woke up.

She was quite tired, so she pulled the other couch over to the one Draco was lying on so it made a bed of sorts. She lied down, taking Draco's hand in hers and closing her eyes to rest until Draco woke up. There were millions of thoughts running through her head, but eventually she drifted into a light sleep.

Draco slowly opened his eyes. His body was aching and his head was pounding, yet he felt comfortable. He was lying on his back. Looking around he noticed he was in the Room of Requirements. He had remembered coming up here, but he didn't remember lying down. The last thing he remembered was opening the door and...

And there she was. As he was looking around the room, his eyes finally came to rest on the form next to him on the couch. Lying there, sleeping, was Hermione. He jumped slightly, wondering why she was still there with him and why she had taken the initiative to help him after their argument. If he was her, he wouldn't have given himself a second glance.

Draco looked down, realizing that not only had she taken care of him and stayed there with him, but she was holding his hand, fingers intertwined with his. Draco took a deep breath and turned on his side, wincing slightly from the pain, to look at her.

Hermione had been awoken by Draco's movement and opened her eyes to make sure he was okay, only to find his eyes staring back at her, brown locked with silver.

"Hi," she said weakly.

"Hi," he said back.

"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine, you didn't have to do this," he told her.

"You collapsed, I was not going to bloody well leave you lying in the doorway," she countered.

Draco relaxed a little, "Well, thank you," he said, averting his eyes.

"You're welcome." There was an awkward silence for a moment before she gathered up her courage, "What happened?" she said quietly.

"Got into a bit of an argument, that's all, don't worry about it," Draco said non-chalantly.

"A bit of an argument, but you-" Hermione started.

"I said don't worry about it," he said. His voice told her that there wasn't going to be any more discussion on the subject.

"Alright, I'm sorry, but if you want to talk, I'll listen," she offered.

"I'm fine," he reiterated.

"Well, I just wanted to stay here to make sure you'd be okay," Hermione said, sitting up.

She pushed the couch she'd been lying on back to its original position and started walking towards the door.

"I guess I'll see you around," she said quietly, turning around to open the door.

"Hermione, wait," He said quickly before she got the chance to leave.

She turned back around to look at him, momentarily stunned that he had used her first name.

"I just-" He wasn't very good at the whole apologizing thing, but he'd have to suck it up. After all, he didn't really have any other choice than to finish his task, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry... about the other night."

Hermione hesitated, thinking things over to herself, "It's fine, really, I would have been mad if I were you."

Thinking the conversation was over, she turned back to leave.

"Don't go," he said behind her.

She turned back to face him again, confused.

"I wasn't finished," He said, standing up with a bit of trouble and walking over to her. "I'm sorry for everything I said, and I'd really like to reconsider not being together. I can't _not_ be with you, Hermione," He waited for a reply, but she just stood there with her mouth slightly open like she was _going _to speak, but not really saying anything.

"I know that you were the one that said you couldn't do this," he said, trying again, "But I need to be with you."

"I-" she hesitated, not really knowing what to do, "I don't know if that's possible. It would just be too hard. I was serious when I said I couldn't go behind their backs anymore, I really can't," she said, a pained expression on her face.

"Then don't," Draco said, an idea forming in his head. Why hadn't he thought of it before? He needed to get closer to Potter, what better way than this? "We can tell them. If it means we can be together, then let's tell them."

"Malfoy-"

"Please, call me Draco. There's no reason to use last names, I think we've grown out of that," he smirked.

"Okay, Draco," She tried again, butterflies in her stomach and a smile on her face from the use of his given name, "Even if we tell them, there's no guarantee that they'll be okay with it. They may get angry and never talk to me again. I can't risk that," her stomach dropped just thinking about it.

"I've seen the way they look at you, the way they talk to you. They care about you, Hermione, just like I do. They won't be happy about it, but your friends, they're the ones who love you enough to work it out," he told her. It was true, he could see it in them; they cared about her. He knew they hated him, hell, the feeling was mutual, but if he could act like he wanted to try for Hermione, then he was sure they would too, and if not, then _fuck_... he'd have to find a new plan.

Hermione thought about it for a moment before she answered, "Alright," she said hesitantly, "I guess, but promise me you'll be civil. I need to hear you tell me that you want to do this enough to make this work."

"Hermione, I care about you a lot, and if this is what it's going to take to be with you, then I'll do it," he knew it sounded sappy, but he really did mean it, and for the sake of his life, he had to do it anyways.

Hermione smiled at him, "Tomorrow night then, eight o'clock, here," she gave him a lingering kiss.

"I'll be here," he told her, taking her hand and kissing it.

With that, she left, heading back to Gryffindor Tower. It was already about four in the morning, but she didn't want to walk in when everyone was up and have people question her as to where she'd been.

As soon as she lay down on her bed, she drifted off to sleep, a happy smile on her face. It had been a long night and she knew it wouldn't be very easy for her and _Draco_, oh she loved using that name, to talk to Harry and Ron about this and get their consent, but just the fact that he was willing to try had put her in a great mood.

After Hermione had left, Draco had gone back over to his couch and lie down to catch another hour or so of sleep before he had to get up and get ready for classes. He hated that he had to be doing this because of his father and his damn task, but he really did want to be with Hermione, and even if it weren't for the Dark Lord and he had come upon this on his own, he would have done it. But considering the circumstances, it didn't really matter. He just really hoped this would all work out. In the end of course, though he didn't know the full extent of the plan, he was sure that all of his efforts and time with Hermione would be ruined, so he would just have to enjoy it while he could and not think about that was to come later.


	14. Their Talk

Chapter 14: Their Talk

"So Draco, how'd the conversation with your father go last night?" Blaise asked.

"How do you _think_ it went, Blaise?" Draco snapped.

"Well come on, Drake, you couldn't have possibly thought that would work," Blaise said, reasoning with his friend.

Draco just shrugged his shoulders and grabbed another slice of toast.

"So what did he have to say?" Blaise tried again.

"Not much," Draco said, trying to avoid the conversation.

"Well it's good to know that you're still in one piece," Blaise said, slapping him on the back with a smirk.

Draco glared at him, "Shut it, Blaise," he warned.

Blaise sighed, "Alright, so where'd you end up crashing?" he asked more seriously.

"Room of Requirement," Draco answered shortly.

"Oh, anything else interesting happen last night?" Blaise asked just to make conversation.

"Of course," Draco replied, taking a gulp of his pumpkin juice.

"Do tell," Blaise prompted.

"I'm back 'with' Granger," Draco said non-chalantly.

"Right, now that you're going to stop being a git. Tell me what happened," Blaise said, getting irritated with Draco's shortness when he _obviously_ had something to say.

"She happened to be up in the Room of Requirements when I went up there. We talked and we're back 'together'. That's it," Draco said, staring at his plate as if it were the most interesting thing in the world.

"Alright, you can tell me later, when you're not in such a foul mood," Blaise said, "And by the way, I guess we missed the announcement that there's a Halloween Ball this Saturday, Hogsmeade Wednesday. Might want to ask Granger before Weasley does," Blaise pointed his chin in the direction of the Gryffindor table, got up and left.

Draco looked over his shoulder at Weasley who was currently whispering something in Hermione's ear. Before his anger could flare up, he got up and followed Blaise out of the hall, shooting a glare at Weasley on his way.

He caught up to Blaise, deciding he'd stop being difficult.

"Granger and I are talking to the Golden Boy and Weasel tonight," he said simply.

"Really?" Blaise asked curiously.

"Yeah, she said she hated going behind their backs, so I told her we should just tell them, so we're going to. Hopefully after that, Weasley will stop _attempting_ to flirt with her," Draco rolled his eyes.

"It's quite pathetic to watch, really. Anyone in their right minds could tell he fancies her. Good thing it's just as plain to see that she _doesn't_ fancy him. I almost feel bad for the guy, he doesn't even realize it," Blaise laughed.

Draco smirked, "He really hasn't got a clue, I can't wait to see his face when we tell him tonight."

"So, Hermione, how was your night with Ginny last night?" Harry asked.

"Oh, it was great," she smiled.

"Good, so we shouldn't be expecting any girl talk tonight, then?" Harry joked.

Hermione's smile widened, "Actually, I want you boys to join me tonight."

"Wher' 're 'e goin'?" Ron asked with a mouthful of pancakes.

"Ron, chew your food and swallow it before you talk!" Hermione scolded.

Ron rolled his eyes and swallowed his food, "Right, sorry. Where are we going?"

"Up to the Room of Requirement," she said, "But I'll tell you everything when we get there. I just really need you both to come," she smiled looking back and forth between the two.

They both agreed and continued eating their breakfast.

Hermione was already anxious and incredibly nervous. She just really hoped they'd take it well.

"Come _on_ boys!" Hermione prompted, "It's almost eight, we need to get going!"

"Alright, we're coming!" Harry said.

"So, what are we going to do anyways?" Ron said as they walked towards the Room of Requirement.

"You'll see, just come on," she answered.

As they reached the door she took a deep breath, unaware as to whether or not Draco was already there, "Okay, now I need you to promise me that you'll keep your minds open tonight. And please just listen to everything that's said."

Harry and Ron looked at each other in confusion, "We will, Hermione," Harry said.

"Thanks guys, and remember, you're my _best_ friends and nothing would ever change that," she hugged them both and opened the door, revealing an _empty,_ comfortable looking room.

She led Harry and Ron over to a couch and asked them to sit down, "It should only be a minute, then I can tell you," she said.

"Can you at least tell us what this is about?" Harry asked.

"Well, I hated not being able to tell you where I was going or what I was doing. Hopefully, I'm doing us both a favor. I'm going to tell you everything, I hate the thought of keeping something so important to me a secret," she told them.

"Ah, we finally get to know!" Harry joked.

There was a soft knock at the door, followed by the jiggling of a doorknob. A moment later the door opened, revealing none other than Draco Malfoy.

"How'd _you_ get in, Ferret Face!" Ron said jumping to his feet, Harry not far behind.

Draco looked at Hermione warily.

"Close the door," Hermione told him.

"Yeah and please, don't come back," Harry said.

To Harry and Ron's surprise, Malfoy didn't leave and shut the door behind him, but instead walked into the room to close it.

Harry and Ron both looked at him incredulously, "What do you think you're doing!" Ron yelled.

"Um... boys..." Hermione started, Draco walking over to her, "Remember when I asked you to keep an open mind?"

Neither of the boys said a word, they just looked back and forth between Hermione and Draco, waiting for an explanation.

"Well, I've been seeing Draco," Hermione said simply. She took Draco's hand in hers for support. He gently squeezed her hand to let her know he was there for her.

Harry and Ron just stood there saying nothing. For a minute Hermione thought maybe they'd keep their minds about them. But then again, this was _Harry _and_ Ron_.

"You must be joking!"

"You're not serious are you?"

"Have you gone daft!"

"_Malfoy!"_

"Are you crazy!"

"Has he hexed you?"

"What have you done to her Malfoy!"

Their rants continued for a few minutes before they ran out of things to say. They stood there looking at the couple standing before them disbelievingly.

Hermione took a deep breath, taking advantage of the break, "I know you two don't much like him, but I've really gotten to know him recently-"

"Gotten to _know_ him!" Ron yelled.

"Ron, calm down," Hermione pleaded.

"Don't tell him to calm down, he has all the reason in the world to be upset!" Harry countered.

"Hey! Don't talk to her like that, Potter!" Draco cut in.

"Oh, so now you're coming to the rescue, huh Ferret?" Ron said, "Because you care for her _so_ much, right!"

"We can see right through it, Malfoy. I don't know what you're trying to do here, but it's not going to work," Harry added.

"Stay away from her," Ron said dangerously.

"Harry, Ronald, stop it!" Hermione said, getting quite irritated with their responses, "Now I understand completely that you're upset, confused, whatever. But please trust me when I say that there's no alternate motive here, we care for each other. Why can't you accept that?"

"He doesn't have feelings, Hermione! I don't know what he did to brainwash you, but snap out of it, what good could _possibly _come from being with _him_!" Harry tried to reason with her.

"Why don't you let her make some decisions on her own, Potter?" Malfoy defended her.

"Draco, please," Hermione said to him before turning back to the other boys, "Now, will you both please calm down and think rationally about this? I'm telling you this because I thought you would try to understand!"

"_We_ are thinking rationally about this, it's you who's not. I don't understand why you're doing this, Hermione. But there's no way we'll ever understand, I'm sorry," Ron told her.

Ron looked at Harry, who shook his head, unable to keep thinking about the current situation. The boys took one last look at Hermione and Draco and left the room.

"Well, I daresay that didn't go too well," Draco said dryly, looking at Hermione.

She shot him a glare and sighed, sitting down on a couch. "So what do we do now?" she asked.

"We give them time," Draco said, sitting down with her, hoping they'd come around, because if not, he was _screwed_.

"But what are we going to do about us?" Hermione said, desperate for answers.

"We are going to be _us_ together, we are going to be there for each other, and we are going to care about each other," Draco smirked snaking an arm around Hermione's waist and bringing her closer to him on the couch.

Hermione couldn't help but smile; she loved how he could make her feel better. She put her arms around his neck and drew him closer to her so that his face was inches from hers, "I guess that sounds like a plan for now," she said quietly, knowing there was nothing she could do about it at the moment.

Draco leaned in and kissed her softly, showing her he cared for her. She ran her tongue across the outside of his lips, begging to deepen the kiss, to which Draco was all too happy to agree to. He carefully lifted her up and positioned himself on top of her. Draco was slowly massaging her tongue with his, but it was tantalizingly slow for Hermione. She wanted more from him, she wanted to see the passion she felt around him. She pushed him off of her so he fell back onto the couch. He looked at her confused, wondering if he had done something wrong.

Hermione smirked, crawling on top of him and crashing her lips onto his. This surprised him at first, but in no way did it bother him. She moaned into the kiss, putting all the passion she felt into it and receiving just as much back from him. Her hands found their way to the bottom of his shirt and lifted it up, momentarily breaking their heated kiss, to pull it off. As soon as it was thrown out of the way, she went back to attacking his lips, earning a throaty groan from Draco.

Draco pulled back for a second, his breathing rapid, "Well that's... not... fair," he complained.

Hermione grinned and shook her head, allowing him to slip off her shirt as well, revealing a light pink lace bra. He brought his lips back up to hers, both of their hands exploring the other's body. Hermione could not stop herself from running her hands repeatedly over his abs, they were simply amazing. Draco, on the other hand could not keep his hands off of her beautiful chest; his thumb lightly brushing over her, while his other hand was on her face, caressing her cheek. He started moving his other hand down her stomach when there was a loud knock at the door.

Hermione jumped off of Draco, grabbing her shirt and throwing it back on as Draco cursed under his breath, putting his own shirt back on as well, "Bloody grand timing," he muttered.

The knock came again, louder this time.

"Who is it?" Hermione called, fixing her hair as best she could.

"It's us," came the reluctant voice of Harry.

It had only been about fifteen minutes since they had left. Hermione was still very upset that they had interrupted her snogging session with Draco, but she was also excited, hoping they'd calmed down a bit and would be more understanding.

"Come on in," she called back to them.

Draco let out a deep breath, pushing himself up from the couch and walking over to Hermione, taking her hand in his for support.

Harry and Ron walked in and closed the door, looking back and forth between the two, trying to decide on what to say.

Harry sighed and took another step towards them, "I suppose we might have been a bit harsh before," he started, "But you have to understand, Hermione, as of before this night, we were still under the impression that you hated the Ferret-"

"Harry-" Hermione started to reprimand him about the name.

"_Malfoy_," Harry corrected, rolling his eyes and grimacing, "just as much as we did. So you can imagine that we took it as a bit of a shock. And don't get me wrong, I am quite against this, I don't trust him," Harry said as if Draco wasn't standing in the same room.

"Potter I'm right here..." Draco drawled.

"_But_," Harry said, ignoring Draco, "We're willing to... support you, not the relationship, you."

"Yeah, 'Mione," Ron added, stepping up next to Harry, "You're our best friend and even if you want to be with..." a look of deep pain spread across his face, but he determinedly continued, "If you want to be with _him_... then there's really not too much we can do except be there for you."

Ron turned to Draco, "But if you hurt her in any way, we promise you Malfoy-"

"Ron!" Hermione pleaded, trying to avoid a fight.

"I'm just warning him, Hermione, we care about you a lot, which is why we're willing to not fight this," Ron defended.

"Thank you," Hermione said to them, "And you can trust me, you can trust Draco."

A pang of guilt hit Draco at those words, _you can trust Draco_... '_yeah_,' he thought to himself, '_you can trust me to lead you right into a pack of werewolves_.' He hated the thought of it, but he had a pretty good feeling that it was exactly like what he was doing.

"Now, I know I'm probably pushing it a bit... but do you think that Draco could come to Hogsmeade with us? Maybe it'll give you some time to get to know him better," The boys looked at her as if she had told them Voldemort had abandoned his life of evil to become a muggle monk.

'_Is she serious!'_ Harry thought, '_Does she really think we can, let alone want to, get to know _Malfoy_ better?'_

"Please, it would mean so much to me," she knew she had said the magic words. They cared about her too much to make her upset again.

"Fine, whatever," they muttered in defeat. She had won and they knew it. They didn't want to lose her to the Ferret, so they may as well try.

"Thank you so much!" Hermione squealed, running over and hugging them.

"Draco, you don't mind coming with us, do you?" she asked hopefully.

Draco shrugged, he didn't really have any other plans, and if Potter and Weasley didn't want him there, at least he could make their day worse. That made him feel a little better, "If that's what would make you happy," he told her sweetly, smirking at Harry and Ron when she turned back around to talk to them.

They both shot him dirty looks, but said nothing.

"We better get going," Ron said.

"Don't stay out too late, we have classes tomorrow," Harry told her, shooting another warning glance at Draco, who just rolled his eyes.

Maybe befriending Potter wasn't going to be very easy, but he was going to have a bit of fun pissing him off, if nothing else.

Hermione gave them another hug and let them leave.

She let out a deep breath and walked lazily back over to Draco, "Well I guess that's all I can ask for right now, huh?" she yawned.

"Yeah I guess so," he said, putting his arms around his waist and pulling her into him.

She closed her eyes, resting her head on his chest, and stayed there for a minute relaxing before she pushed back from him.

"I'm going to fall asleep here if I don't get going," she said.

"I don't see any problem with that," Draco smirked.

Hermione just shook her head and laughed, "Not tonight, I need to go back to Gryffindor Tower tonight. I'll see you in class tomorrow."

"Alright, and gee, tell Potter and Weasley I just can't _wait_ to spend the day in Hogsmeade with them Wednesday," he grinned.

"Draco," She looked at him tiredly, "Please be civil, I know you don't like them, but please try to get to know them."

"Alright, alright," he sighed, "Go get some sleep, I'll see you in the morning."

He leaned down and kissed her soundly before heading back towards the dungeons.

As soon as he had let go of her she felt cold again. She loved being in his arms, feeling safe. She yawned again, stretching her arms, and left the room to head back to Gryffindor Tower.

"I still can't believe it, mate," Harry said, closing his eyes and leaning his head back on the couch in the Gryffindor common room.

"Yeah, you're telling me," Ron agreed, eyes fixated on the crackling fire in front of him.

"I'm sorry, Ron, this has got to be a bit of a killer for you, huh?" Harry said, looking over at his downtrodden friend.

Ron finally took his gaze off of the fire and met Harry's, "Yeah, a bit," he said dryly.

The portrait swung open a few minutes later and Hermione walked in. She looked around, spotting Harry and Ron sitting in front of the fire. She walked over to them, taking a seat next to Harry on the couch.

Harry gave her a forced half smile and Ron just looked at her.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"Look, Hermione, whatever you do, we're here for you, okay?" Harry said, trying to lessen the awkwardness of the conversation.

"I know, that's why you guys are my best friends," she smiled.

"Alright, well we're going to head off to bed, we'll see you in the morning," Harry said, getting up and dragging Ron with him.

"Yeah... bed," Ron agreed snapping out of the daze he had been in, "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," she called to them as they headed up the stairs.

She was glad that they were trying to be supportive, even if it was bit forced, she'd take what she could get.

But there was one thing that was unavoidable.

Of course, she'd known that _this_ would happen all along. She'd seen _this_ coming since she had gotten together with Draco. And she still feared facing _this_ even now. But she knew she couldn't put it off forever, especially with its current state. She knew her next commitment was to straighten all of _this _out. She couldn't bare to act like nothing was wrong, couldn't bare to see her actions take their toll.

She'd have to talk to Ron. She'd have to tell him everything, he deserved that much. Harry and Ron were both her best friends, but she knew that Ron had liked her, as she had liked him before this year also. He deserved and explanation, she hated seeing him so out of it and reserved. She was sure Harry had noticed it too, so he would understand, and probably encourage her to talk to Ron.

_Tomorrow_, she decided, _tomorrow I'll talk with him_.

With that settled in her mind, she decided to go up to bed herself.

An owl met Draco when he returned from the Room of Requirements. Draco groaned, recognizing it as his father's.

He sat down, taking the note from the owl and opening it, trying to drown out the loud snoring noise coming from Blaise's bed.

_Draco:_

_I trust that in the last twenty four hours you have taken our conversation to heart. I hope things have improved since then, though I must insist that you meet me tomorrow so that we can talk about more important things. 12:00 sharp. Do _not_ be late_.

_Sincerely,_

_Lucius Malfoy_

Draco crumpled up the note, "_Incendio_," he said through gritted teeth, pointing his wand at the paper.

He watched as the paper caught fire and burned until it was no more than ash lying on his floor.

"What the hell are you doing?" Blaise asked tiredly, turning over in bed at the sudden light the fire had emitted. Crabbe and Goyle, however seemed to be out cold in their beds and didn't so much as flinch at the light.

"Go back to bed, Blaise," Draco said quietly, not at all in the mood for a conversation.

"Whatever," he murmured, turning back over. Within seconds, his snores were audible again.

Draco cleaned up the ashes with a simple _Scourgify_ and went to lie down, but sitting on his bed was the owl. Apparently, Lucius expected an affirmation from him that he would be there.

He cursed his father inwardly, walking over to his desk and grabbing a piece of parchment. He wrote back saying that he'd be there and gave the note to the owl, who quickly took off out the open window.

Draco walked over and slammed the window shut loudly, earning grunts from Blaise, Crabbe _and_ Goyle, but none of them actually woke up. Though, maybe they did and were just smart enough to keep their mouths shut.

Draco sighed, plopping down onto his bed and closing his eyes, trying to block out every thought that came to his head. He had been having an okay night, but his father always seemed to ruin those times. He soon fell into a dreamless sleep, relieving him of his burdens, at least until morning.


	15. Conversations

Chapter 15: Conversations

Around Hogwarts, it was hard to find a girl who was _not_ talking about the Halloween Ball. Everyone was very excited for the Hogsmeade visit and the weekend to come. The boys, as much as they hated getting dressed up and dancing, were looking forward to some time outside the castle.

Hermione rolled out of bed with plenty of time to get ready for classes that Tuesday morning, though she was not surprised to find that Harry and Ron did not arrive to the Great Hall until much later, leaving them with only about ten minutes for breakfast, much to Ron's dismay. He grumbled under his breath that they shouldn't have to be up so early anyways and how they should get longer to eat in the mornings.

"Honestly, Ronald, if you just got up a few minutes earlier, you'd have _plenty _of time," Hermione scolded, shaking her head.

Ron looked up and gave her a half-hearted glare, not bothering to argue with her. He'd had a long, restless night and was now feeling the effects of it. He just couldn't seem to grasp the fact that Hermione, _his and Harry's_ Hermione, was with... _Malfoy_. It just wasn't right, he always figured _he'd_ end up with her. That's how it had looked this summer anyways.

Hermione had been at the burrow with him for a few days before Harry had arrived. She had spent a good amount of time hanging out with Ginny, but when Ron wasn't out flying or off with Fred and George at their shop, they had spent lots of time together. She'd taught him that muggle game... what was it... _Go Fish?_ She said it was the most popular game on the market, yet laughed at him when he and his dad had gotten into an argument over the game.

One day they had gone for a walk down the path through the woods near the Weasley's house. They had stopped in the clearing to lie down for a while and talked for hours before realizing how dark it had gotten.

"_Ron_."

They had talked about everything, shared little secrets, (he never knew that her parents had told her she wasn't aloud to date until 6th year.) Now that he thought about it, maybe it had been a hint to him, since this was their 6th year. He'd never been any good with subtlety.

"_Ron?"_

He'd waited too long, and he'd lost her because of it. But it wasn't _completely_ his fault, how could he have possibly known that she'd fall for the Ferret? He still couldn't even imagine how that had happened, last he knew they had all still hated him. He needed to know why, it was killing him not to. He didn't think he'd be able to accept it until she gave him more of an explanation.

"_RON!"_

A voice finally shook him out of his thoughts, "What?" he asked.

"I thought we'd lost you, mate," Harry laughed beside him.

"Sorry 'bout that, guess I kind of dazed off," he said, looking back down at his food and grabbing another piece of French toast.

"Well like I was saying before, we should be heading off to Charms, are you coming with us, or do you want to finish eating?" Hermione asked.

"I'll finish eating, you two go on ahead, I'll meet you there," he answered, grabbing the butter.

"Alright, see you there then," Harry said as he and Hermione got up and left the Great Hall.

They walked in a comfortable silence for a minute while Hermione figured out how to approach her subject.

"Harry," she started, repositioning her bag on her shoulder, "How's Ron?"

Harry had somewhat been expecting this conversation, knowing Hermione. "He's alright," he answered. It wasn't completely true, Ron had been kind of out of it and lost in thought since the night before, but Harry didn't expect him to handle it any other way.

He had half expected Ron to just blow up, which they both had at first, but they had calmed down and apologized, knowing full well that they might have lost her if they hadn't. However, Harry wasn't so sure Ron could keep himself this composed much longer. So far Ron seemed to be doing a good job, but if Hermione didn't do anything about it soon, he wasn't sure how long Ron would hold.

"Well, I don't want to overanalyze anything, but he's seemed a bit out of it," Hermione went on.

_True, _thought Harry, nodding his head.

"And I was just thinking, that maybe I should talk to him about it, you know?" she finished, looking at him for a reaction.

"Yes, that's probably a good idea," Harry nodded his head again.

"Do you think it will help, Harry? I mean _really_, do you think it will help?" she asked in an almost pleading tone.

"Hermione, I think you _owe_ it to him to tell him how this all happened," Harry told her honestly. He didn't mean it in a mean or malicious way, he just truly believed she owed him that much.

"I know," Hermione agreed, casting her eyes to the floor as they continued walking.

"I didn't mean to hurt him," she said quietly.

"I know you didn't, Hermione, and I'm sure he knows you didn't," he put his arm around her comfortingly.

She smiled up at him, "Thanks, Harry," she said leaning her head on his shoulder and letting out a deep breath.

They reached the Charms room and walked to their seats. Hermione sat between the two boys so they left the seat on the end for Ron.

Draco rolled out of bed with enough time for his morning routine. He showered, got dressed and met Blaise in the common room to walk down to the Great Hall.

"So, Draco, what was all that noise about last night?" Blaise yawned.

"What are you talking about?" Draco asked.

"Last night when you came in you were lighting things on fire and slamming windows. Woke me up out of a perfectly good dream, I may add," Blaise said.

"Oh, sorry about that," Draco said, "My father sent an owl," Draco gave him a fake smile that quickly changed to a scowl.

"Ah, what did he want this time?" Blaise asked.

"I'll let you know, I'm meeting him tonight," Draco told him warily.

"Oh," Blaise said sympathetically, "Well maybe there's... good news?"

Draco glared at him, "Yes Blaise, I'm _sure_ that's it," he bit.

"Well, thought I'd be optimistic," he flashed his friend a smile.

"There is no optimism with Lucius," Draco said darkly, "All he said was that he hoped things had improved and that we had more important matters to discuss."

"Ahh, maybe you'll finally find out the rest of his plan," Blaise suggested.

"I doubt it, I'm sure he'll just have more instructions for me that he won't explain the meaning of," Draco guessed.

They sat down to breakfast with plenty of time to fill their appetites.

Draco glanced over at the Gryffindor table and noticed that Harry and Ron weren't there yet. Hermione was talking amiably with the Weaselette and that clumsy Longbottom boy who were sitting a few seats down.

He went back to eating, every few minutes looking back up to find that Harry and Ron had finally showed up with not much time to spare. Hermione was usually talking with Harry while Ron stared stupidly off into space. _Poor bloke_, Draco smirked.

He watched as Hermione left with Harry and Ron continued to push his food around on his plate.

"Pathetic, isn't he?" Draco said offhandedly.

Blaise turned around to see who Draco was talking about and smirked, "Jealous a bit?"

"What?" Draco almost gagged on his muffin.

"You're jealous that he's her best friend," Blaise stated.

"That's ridiculous, it's Weasley!" Draco said incredulously.

"Yet he's always around her and you _know_ they used to like each other. You're jealous."

"Shut up, Blaise, I could never be jealous of him, I'm a _Malfoy_," he said in an unconvincing tone.

"Alright," Blaise said, "Just remember, you may like her, but it's still just a task. You have to watch yourself, mate, you're falling in."

"Falling into what?" Draco said indignantly.

"_Love_, Draco, you're falling in _love," _Blaise said, chuckling at his friend.

Draco was quiet for a minute, letting his words sink in, "You're wrong, Blaise. This was forced upon me, and I may have gotten to like her, but it will _never_ be, and _can_ never be love. And that's the end of the conversation."

Blaise shrugged, shaking his head. Draco was never going to admit it, even though it was so obvious. Blaise had an eye for these things, and he could have spotted it a mile away.

"Come on, Blaise, we should get going if we want to be on time to Transfiguration," Draco said, getting up.

They headed to their class in silence. He forced himself not to glance at Ron again as they passed the Gryffindor table. _He was not jealous!_

The lessons that day went by uneventfully. Hermione had been carefully piecing together what she would say to Ron when she noticed that it was getting late and it was possible that she might even be stalling, which was _very_ unlike her.

Hermione, Ron, Harry and Ginny were all sitting in the Gryffindor common room in their corner near the fireplace. Hermione finally racked up her courage and got up.

"Ron, can I talk to you?" she said slowly.

"Sure," he said, getting up with her.

"No need to get up," Harry told them, standing up himself and helping Ginny up, "We were just about to leave," he smiled.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked.

"Don't worry, Ron, we'll be back later, we're just going for a... walk," Ginny answered, winking at Hermione, who suppressed a laugh and shook her head, as they left through the portrait hole.

Hermione and Ron sat back down.

"So what's up?" asked Ron.

Hermione sat up a little straighter, trying to make the conversation as un-awkward as possible.

"Well I'm not going to beat around the bush," Hermione paused.

"Okay..."

"I mean I'm going to get right to the point," she said again, collecting her thoughts, "I really just hate drawing things out-"

"_Alright_, Hermione, come on," Ron said with a small exasperated laugh.

"Right, sorry," she said, clearing her throat, "I just think I owe you an explanation. And probably an apology," she said quietly, looking him in the eye.

"Hermione, it's okay-" Ron started before she cut him off.

"No, Ron, it's not. I'm sorry, I'm _so_ sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen, I mean, it wasn't planned," she looked at him sympathetically.

"I kind of figured that," Ron said, allowing her to continue.

"Well, it didn't start out as anything. He just started being nicer to me, and instead of cruel comments, they were nicer, he seemed more subdued," she started on her story.

Ron nodded, taking a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever she had to say.

"Then I ended up finding him one night and helping him. After that I guess he took even more notice to me and asked to meet him so we could talk. First it was just little things, then we started getting into bigger things, like our pasts and things like that. We talked about _everything_," she smiled, oblivious to the knot that had just caught in Ron's throat.

_'We talked about __everything'_ Ron looked down at the floor to hide his pained expression. Over the summer _they_ had talked about _everything_. Did she ever talk about Ron like that, with that starry look in her eyes, back when they had liked each other?

"And, well I've been meeting with him ever since; staying up late, just talking. He's really not the guy everyone makes him out to be," Hermione told him.

"What makes you believe that?" Ron asked.

"There's sincerity in his voice, Ron. I trust him, and I really hope that eventually you'll be able to do the same."

Ron let out a dry laugh, "'Mione, that is a _lot_ to ask."

"I know it is, but it's possible. I mean once you get to know him, you'll see what I see," Hermione smiled, hoping she was getting through to him.

"So why did you feel the need to tell me all of this?" he asked, not coldly, but curiously.

"Well, I know how you feel- er, how you _felt_ at least, about me," she said awkwardly, "And I know that over the summer, something was going on between us, and I just felt I owed you an explanation as to why everything changed."

"Oh, well, thanks," Ron said rather awkwardly also, "Well I really should be headed off to bed, keep an eye out for Harry and Ginny for me, will you?" he said more normally.

"Sure, Ron, I'll stay up," she smiled at him, "I'm just going to go grab my book."

They both got up to head upstairs. Ron started walking, but Hermione hesitated a moment, feeling that there was still one thing she had to make perfectly clear to him.

"Ron," Hermione said quietly.

Ron turned around and looked at her questioningly.

"I never meant to hurt you," she said.

Ron walked back over and pulled her into a hug, resting his head on top of hers, "I know you didn't," he told her.

He pulled away and they walked over to the stairs, "Goodnight," she said.

"Goodnight Hermione," he smiled, heading upstairs. He found that he had a renewed feeling that things were going to get better. He could handle this. He smiled again to himself, _She's happy, and I'm still here as one of her best friends, everything's okay. _Of course that didn't change the fact that both he and Harry would be keeping their eyes very close on Malfoy.

Hermione made her way upstairs and grabbed her book and went back to the Common Room to wait up for Harry and Ginny as she had promised. She yawned as she opened up to her page and began reading.

Harry and Ginny arrived back a while later to find Hermione asleep on the couch in front of the fire.

"I hate to wake her up," Ginny said.

"Let her sleep, just grab her a blanket. Besides, I personally think these couches are more comfortable than the beds," Harry said.

Ginny ran up to her room and grabbed a blanket and came back down, placing it on Hermione. With that, she and Harry made their way up to bed.

Hermione sighed contentedly, snuggling up in the nice warm blanket and enjoying a good night's sleep.

As the clock approached midnight, Draco was sitting in his dorm with Blaise reading the _Daily Prophet_.

"It's almost twelve," Blaise warned, not looking up from the Transfiguration essay he was working on.

"Thank you, Blaise," Draco said, returning his gaze to the paper.

"You don't want to be late," Blaise said again, flipping through pages in his text book.

"I'm aware, Blaise," Draco answered, scanning the next page for an interesting story.

"Don't you think you should get going?" Blaise said, starting a new paragraph.

"I will shortly, Blaise," Draco answered turning the page.

A minute later Draco still hadn't moved. Blaise finally looked up from his essay.

"You know, you really should-" he started to say.

"Alright, I'm going," Draco huffed, getting up.

"Just a suggestion," Blaise said, going back to his essay.

"See you later," Draco said as he grabbed his cloak and walked out the door.

"Have fun!" Blaise called after him.

Draco walked quickly down to the Forrest, he knew he'd been putting it off, hoping that maybe one more minute and an owl would show up with a note from his father saying that he had to cancel their meeting. But of course, that didn't happen and now he was close to being late, which was _not_ safe.

"Cutting it very close, Draco," came his father's voice once he reached the clearing.

"I'm sorry father, I was working diligently on my homework and almost lost track of time. But a Malfoy is never one to be late for a meeting," he told Lucius, repeating one of the many rules his father had reiterated numerous times when he was younger.

"Good, then shall we get on with things?" Lucius said, never one for small talk.

"Of course, father. What is it you'd like to talk about?" Draco asked.

"First thing's first I suppose. How are things with the Mudblood?"

Draco inwardly flinched at the name, but answered clearly none the less, "Things are well, everything is fixed. I would like to apologize for my behavior the other night, I was out of line," he told his father, knowing that it was what he wanted to hear.

"Good," Lucius said, "Since things are going well, I'm sure that any _feelings_," he grimaced, "You thought you had for this _girl_, are gone then, correct?"

"Of course father. She is nothing but a task," Draco answered mechanically. It was a lie, a huge lie at that, but it was necessary.

Lucius saw right through it, "I don't believe you," he said, "_Crucio!"_

Draco dropped down to the cold, hard earth and shook violently. He screamed in his head, though never letting a sound out of his mouth. After a minute, the curse was lifted. Draco was breathing hard so he took a few deep breaths and slowly rose to his feet, avoiding eye contact with his father.

"After a while I'm sure you will get it out of your system," Lucius said dismissively, "But we have more important things to discuss tonight."

Draco waited patiently while Lucius walked slowly around him, surveying what he had to work with.

"You are fully aware that your entire task was not simply to piss off the Golden trio and use the Mudblood," Lucius stated, "So I think it is time we pass this stage, as amusing as I'm sure it has been for you. There are of course, more important matters at hand and higher stakes ahead."

A pep talk. He was psyching Draco out. A test. Checking to see if Draco could handle it.

"Of course, father," he answered. He was brave, and ready, and frankly, he had no other choice.

"Good, now for the next part of your task, as you know, you need to get closer to the Potter boy. It is time to put these thoughts into action. You _will_ befriend him. You will have a little over a month. This, of course, you know.

"We have big plans, Draco. This is _crucial_. I need your word that you can and will do this," he finished his speech, stopping in front of Draco.

"Of course father, I will," Draco answered.

"A Malfoy's word is everything, son. We never go back on our word," Lucius told him warningly.

"Yes father, I'm aware," Draco told him warily.

"Good, now I think you may need more information on what is coming later. Mind you, I will not tell you everything. You are on a need-to-know basis," Lucius said, "But I will tell you that you will need the trust of all three members of the trio. Enough so that when it comes time for the final part of this plan, your word of trust will be enough for them to not second guess you, and not run to Dumbledore. Do you understand?"

"Yes, father. I understand and I am fully capable of completing this task," he told his father.

"Good, that is all I wanted from you tonight. I will owl again in a few weeks to check on your progress. Do not mess up Draco," with that, Lucius was gone with a loud pop.

Draco leaned back against a large tree running his hands through his hair.

_Fuck_. He thought. _I've known all along that I would have to do this, so why does it seem so much harder now!_ The answer was obvious to him, _It's because now it's time, it's _real.

He didn't know what his father had planned for the three, but they were of course, setting up a trap, _and I'm the bait_.


	16. Reactions

Chapter 16: Reactions

The next morning came quickly. It was finally Wednesday, the day of the Hogsmeade trip.

Draco awoke earlier than usual that morning to a sharp pecking on his arm. He tried to swat the nuisance away, but its reaction was to peck harder. Finally, Draco opened his eyes to find one of the school's owls sitting on his night stand looking innocently at him. The owl held out his leg for Draco, so he took the note from it.

The bird flew over to perch on the bar that Blaise had set up for when his parents would send an owl.

Draco glared at the bird before sitting up and opening the note.

_D-_

_Sorry I didn't get to talk to you yesterday, but I had something I had to take care of. I know I asked you to come to Hogsmeade with us, but I don't know how we would pull it off. I want to spend the day with you but I haven't a clue what we could do. I'd hate for someone to find out and tell your father, I have a feeling that wouldn't be safe. _

_If you have any ideas, send an owl back. If not, then send one back anyways with plans for later tonight._

_-H_

Draco folded up the note and put it into his desk drawer, pulling out a fresh sheet of parchment. He sat there for a few minutes debating on what to do. After he finally decided, he scribbled a quick note to Hermione, followed by a quick note to Lucius.

He called the owl back over to him.

"This note goes to Hermione Granger," he told the owl holding up the first note, "Drop it off quick and do _not_ show her this other note. After that, deliver _this_ note," he held up the one addressed to his father, "To Lucius Malfoy. No need to wait for a reply, he has his own owl."

He tied the note to his father to the bird's leg and let the bird take the other one in his beak.

Draco watched the owl fly out of his room and looked up at the clock. He sighed and stretched his arms before getting up and heading to the shower. It might be a very long day.

Hermione had gotten up early that morning so she could get a note out to Draco. She'd had this horrible dream the night before that his father had punished him because of her. She couldn't stand the thought of it so she had written Draco and told him that maybe being together in Hogsmeade wasn't such a great idea.

She was now lying on her bed working on her thirteen inch potions essay due a week from Thursday. A light breeze was drifting in through the open window, cooling down the room. The Gryffindor rooms were normally very warm because of how high up they were.

After a while, the owl she had sent off to Draco returned, quickly dropping a note on her bed and taking off back out the window.

_Strange_, she thought. She had even gotten out some owl snacks for it, but apparently it was in a hurry.

She leaned over and grabbed the note.

_H-_

_Don't worry about it. I'll see you soon._

_-D_

She flipped the parchment over to see if there was anything on the other side, _blank_.

_Is that it!_ She thought. That didn't answer anything at all. Nor did it have alternative plans.

Slightly disappointed, she closed her potions book and decided to get dressed for classes. Each one had been shortened by a half an hour to give the students more time in Hogsmeade. This morning she had Charms, Transfiguration and Herbology.

She grabbed her cloak and headed down to breakfast. Since she doubted Harry and Ron were up yet, she didn't wait around in the common room for them.

Harry's eyes shot open. His breath was short and he was sweating.

He'd had that dream again. Those eyes, that laugh, so sardonic. He couldn't seem to grasp the meaning of it. The details of the dream were slowly slipping from him as he came more into reality. Seeing Ron and Hermione, along with himself, in such a position was frightening. It looked almost as if they were hopeless, unprotected. Harry shook his head, trying to get the sound of the whispered plea out of his head.

Try as he might, it lingered there, '_How could you...'_

What could it mean? _It's just a dream_, Harry thought, mentally kicking himself for trying to analyze it. _You know what happened last time you let something like this get to you, the closest thing you had to a parent disappeared._ Harry suddenly became very angry with himself, _You're not going to let that happen again_. He thought, throwing off the covers to get up and take a nice long shower.

Hermione had made it halfway down to the Great Hall before she noticed that she'd left one of her books back in her room. She groaned, doing an about face and heading back up to the tower.

Draco waited patiently for a reply from his father, hoping it would not take too long to put his plan into action. He figured it was as good as any, but he still needed an okay from his father.

Lucius Malfoy was sitting at one end of a long table at the Malfoy Manor while his wife sat at the other end, eating breakfast. Lucius looked up when he heard a tap at his window and was intrigued to find one of the school owls at his window. He got up and walked to the window, opening it enough to get the note off of its leg before shutting it again.

The owl, though upset for the lack of attention and food, took off again back towards Hogwarts.

Lucius sat back down and opened the letter.

_Father-_

_So sorry to bother you, but I had an idea I hope to get your approval on._

_I was thinking that maybe going public with the 'relationship' I have with Granger will help. She had previously asked me to attend the Hogsmeade trip with her, though considering the consequences she feels will come out of it, has changed her mind about me accompanying her because she feels it will anger you._

_This trip was going to be essential to my task. Potter and Weasley were both going to be there, and I was planning on initiating a truce between us, to get closer to the trio and gain their trust._

_Please send back an answer as soon as possible._

_Draco Malfoy_

Lucius sat for a minute, considering before getting up.

"I'll be back in a little while, Narcissa," he said, not even looking at her and walking to his den. Once there, he apparated to the place he knew Voldemort was hiding.

It was dark and dusty, but it was discreet.

Voldemort heard someone arrive and went to greet them.

"My Lord," Lucius bowed, "I have received a letter from my son requesting permission to go public with his _relationship_ with the Mudblood in order to get closer to the Potter boy. What is your position on the situation?"

"Very well," Voldemort said in a low voice, "Let him do what he must, as long as his actions are in the best interest of his task. His request seems reasonable, and I believe it would be useless to keep it a secret much longer."

"Do you believe Draco is prepared for what this task entails of him? I am almost afraid that he is not emotionally capable-" Lucius started.

"Silence," Voldemort hissed, "I believe Draco will do what he is told, he knows the consequences if he does not. Furthermore, he is essential to this plan, and one day, he will be a very powerful wizard, I can feel it. Let us not doubt his loyalty, he has proven himself, _to me_, so far, and I believe he will continue to do so."

"Yes, my Lord," Lucius replied, bowing again before apparating back to the manor.

Once there, he wrote a letter back to Draco and sent it off with his owl before returning to the rest of his breakfast, which the house elves had kept warm for him while he was gone.

After what seemed like a very long time, his father's owl finally flew in and dropped the letter next to Draco before turning around and leaving again.

Draco unfolded the letter.

_Draco-_

_After considering your proposal, I have decided to grant you permission to go ahead with your idea. I have talked with someone __**higher up**__-_

Voldemort, Draco presumed.

_-And they believe that you should do whatever it takes, and whatever you feel is necessary to complete your task. He says you have proven yourself so far, to which I was proud to hear, so do not mess up what you have going. I can only warn you so much._

_Sincerely,_

_Lucius Malfoy_

He had the go ahead. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before grabbing his cloak and heading off, hoping he wasn't too late to start with his plan.

As Hermione had entered the common room, she was happily surprised to see Harry and Ron already up. They were talking with Lavender Brown, though Harry looked as if he just wanted to get down to breakfast.

"Alright, well we've got to get going, come on Ron," Harry said politely, "See you later Lavender."

"Oh! Right, I've got to run up to my room quick, but I'll see you guys later," she answered, "Bye Harry,_ bye Ron_."

"See you," Ron said to Lavender as Harry started pulling him away.

Hermione noticed a slight blush creep onto Lavender's cheeks as she smiled and waved.

Hermione smiled, it looked as if Ron was going to be okay. After Harry and Ron had departed, Lavender squealed and raced up to her room. Hermione grinned watching her, before she, too, made her way upstairs.

She reached her room, saying hello to Lavender and Parvati who were currently sitting on Parvati's bed whispering excitedly to each other. They both greeted her before going back to their quiet conversation.

Hermione grabbed her Charms book and headed back downstairs.

She left through the portrait hole humming to herself.

"Good morning," came a voice.

Hermione jumped, not expecting anyone to be there, much less him.

"Draco, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, looking around to make sure they were alone.

Draco pulled her to him and kissed her soundly before pulling back to look at her.

"I think we've kept this to ourselves for far too long," he smirked, releasing her waist and taking her hand in his.

"Are you serious? I mean, are you sure? I don't want anything bad to happen, Draco," Hermione said, looking concerned.

"I don't care what anyone else says," he said matter-of-factly, "And as for my father, you needn't worry, I have my own ways of dealing with him."

Hermione smiled brightly, pulling him back to her and kissing him harder, "This is great!" she breathed.

Draco smiled at her, "Come on, we don't want to miss breakfast," he said to her before bending down to whisper in her ear, "Or at least we don't want to miss everyone's reactions," he smirked, kissing her temple.

Hermione looked up at him, "Ah, good point. All the girls will be _so_ jealous," she laughed.

"Hey! Why are you laughing, they _will_ be jealous! They'd have to be crazy to not want the one and only Draco Malfoy," he exclaimed.

"You are _so_ full of yourself!" Hermione said, hitting him playfully on the arm.

Draco pulled her to him and kissed her again, relieving her of any annoyance, real or kidding, she was just feeling.

He pushed a strand of hair away from her face and grabbed her hand again, continuing on their way to the Great Hall.

By the time they reached the doors, they were surprised that they hadn't run into anyone yet. But if you're going to catch people by surprise, it's better to catch everyone at once.

"Well, here it goes," Draco said with a smile, giving her a quick wink as they opened the doors and walked in together.

Harry was sitting next to Ginny and across from Ron and Neville. They were deep in conversation when they noticed that everyone had gotten pretty quiet. He looked around noticing that a lot of people were whispering rapidly with each other. He finally looked to the front of the hall where many other eyes were watching.

Standing in the doorway was Hermione and Malfoy, hand-in-hand.

Harry hit Ron, pointing his chin in the direction of the couple.

They both looked around at their fellow students, all of which were undoubtedly shocked.

Draco smirked, releasing Hermione's hand and putting his arm around her waist to walk her over to the Gryffindor table. He gave her a quick kiss as she sat down next to Harry.

Draco looked over to view the expressions of the other Gryffindors, who were all gawking at the scene in front of them. His eyes soon fell onto her friends. He figured that he should get over to the Slytherin table if he wanted to eat that morning so he gave them a smirk.

"Potter, Weasley," he nodded, "I guess I'll be seeing you later," he suppressed a laugh as he sauntered over to his table, sitting down next to Blaise who looked at him questioningly, but with a slight twinkle in his eyes.

"Good morning, Blaise," Draco said good-naturedly, "Could you pass me the fruit?" He asked as if nothing in the world was unusual about his current situation.

Blaise laughed, going along with it and grabbing the fruit to pass to him, "Anything else I can get you, mate?" He asked.

"No, thanks, I'm okay for now," Draco smirked at him.

"Alright then, enjoy your meal," Blaise smirked back, taking another bite of his bagel.

He noticed the stares and the whispers, they were actually pretty hard to ignore. But it amused him. Draco heard the doors to the Great Hall slam open, averting everyone's attention there.

Fists clenched, face red and walking with a purpose, Pansy made her way over to where Draco was sitting, non-chalantly taking a bite of his apple.

She stopped, crossing her arms and tapping her foot on the ground. The entire Hall seemed to be looking on silently, waiting for the outburst.

Hermione looked over, she had already told her friends what Draco had said to her about how he didn't care if people knew because he just wanted to be with her. She now looked worriedly back over at Harry who was sitting next to her.

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," she said furrowing her brows and turning her attention back to the scene on the other side of the Hall.

"I'm sure it'll be okay, Hermione, I mean it's just _Pansy_," Harry told her, also turning his attention to the Slytherin table.

"Good morning, Pansy," Draco said carelessly, not bothering to look up from his food.

"Draco Malfoy, you had _better_ explain yourself," Pansy said dangerously quietly. However, no matter _how_ quiet, you could assume that the entire Hall had heard it.

From the Professor's table, Dumbledore looked on with interest. He was already surprised by their entrance that morning, but being who he was, he had seen the relationship coming.

"What are you talking about, Pansy?" Draco sighed, finally raising his head.

"Don't you play this game with me, Draco!" she hissed.

"Pansy I'm afraid I have no idea what could be troubling you this early in the morning," Draco replied.

"How about the fact that I just walked past a whole group of people talking about this _shocking_ new relationship they just witnessed," She was seething.

"Really?" Draco said, feigning interest.

"You'll never _believe_ who they were talking about," she glared at him.

"_Really?_ Well, then you _must_ tell me," he gave her a fake smile.

"Draco, is it true?" She asked, her tone wasn't any softer, but it had more of a pleading tone to it.

He sighed, "Pansy-"

"Don't tell me it's true, Draco, I can't believe for a second that someone like _you_ could possibly have feelings for something like _that_," she said maliciously.

"Hey, Don't you _dare-"_ He started, standing up to tower over her.

"So it is then," she stared at him incredulously, "You've lowered your standards so much that you're dating a _Mudblood!"_

"Get out of my sight," Draco said dangerously, no one in their right minds would have stuck around with his anger building up. Well, no one except for Pansy- and probably Blaise.

"How dare you talk to me like that, you just wait until your father hears about this. I'm sure you'll get _exactly_ what you deserve," she said, expecting him to beg her not to say anything.

"Go ahead, Pansy, _I don't care_," he told her challengingly.

"I don't understand you, you have _nothing_ to gain from this," Pansy stated.

"_Some_ people are just worth it, Pansy, and she happens to be one of them," he told her, watching her cheeks flush even more.

"_Fuck you, _Draco," She spat, turning on her heel and storming out of the Great Hall.

Draco threw down the napkin he had been suffocating in his hand and turned to Blaise, "Let's go," he said.

He looked around as if daring anyone else to say anything. Everyone quickly averted their eyes and picked up conversations with their friends.

He caught Hermione's eye, she looked worried.

"Just a second, Blaise, I'll meet you at the door," he said, walking over towards Hermione.

He could feel everyone's eyes on him again, but he didn't really care.

He sat down next to her, "Don't worry about it," he whispered, "Do you want me to walk you to your class, or shall I just meet you in the Entrance Hall before we go to Hogsmeade?"

She looked at him with concern again, "Draco, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yes," he said, "I think it's a brilliant idea, and like I said, stop worrying, everything's fine."

"Alright," she said skeptically, "Well since your class is in the opposite direction than mine, you can go with Blaise and we'll meet you in the Entrance hall around one-thirty, okay?"

"Sure," he gave her the best smile he could muster after the fight he'd just had with Pansy, "I'll see you later then," with that, he gave her a kiss on her cheek and got up.

He hesitated after he'd stood up, "Potter, Weasley," he nodded before he turned and walked away, leaving the Great Hall with Blaise.

Dumbledore wasn't sure what to make of the situation. He had a feeling that there was more to the relationship than met the eye, though feelings were certainly evident. He decided that after the students got back from Hogsmeade that night, he would have a talk with the young Malfoy.

Classes that day went by slower than ever. Everyone was anxious to go to Hogsmeade.

Anywhere Hermione was, whether sitting in class, or walking down the hall or simply doing homework, she could feel eyes following her, and she could hear the whispers. As she entered rooms, conversations stopped.

She wasn't sure how to act because she didn't know what people were saying. During her break, someone finally came up to her.

"Hey Hermione," it was Parvati.

"Hi," She smiled, looking up from her Charms essay.

"You know, I just hate to follow the gossip in this school-"

_Yeah right,_ thought Hermione.

"But I couldn't help but hear something about you earlier-"

_More like all day_.

"And I figured, rather than _spread_ the rumors-"

_Like you haven't already_.

"-I'd talk to you about it first," she smiled.

Hermione laughed inwardly, "Well I've got time, what would you like to know?"

"Well," Parvati said, taking this as an invitation to sit down, "I heard that you dated Draco Malfoy. But then I heard that Pansy found out and totally flipped on him. I couldn't believe it, I mean you and _Malfoy!"_

Hermione wasn't sure if she should be offended by that remark, "Well, it's not that I dat_ed_ Malfoy-" she started.

"Phew! I didn't think so," Parvati said.

"No, no, I mean you said it in the past tense, so I was trying to clear it up. It's not that I dat_ed_ Malfoy, I am dat_ing_ Draco," she said, smiling.

Parvati looked taken aback, "_Really?"_ she breathed, "So then it's true? I even heard he kissed you in front of the entire Great Hall today. I didn't get there until after you had left, and I was sure everyone was trying to pull one over on me, so I just wanted to hear it from you."

"Well, it's true," Hermione said simply.

"Well, congratulations then, I guess. But as your friend, I should probably warn you that not everyone is as accepting about this as I am," she put her hand on Hermione's arm, "So if you need anything, you know, like to talk or something, you can always come to me."

Hermione tried so hard not to laugh at Parvati's attempt at sincereness, "Well thanks Parvati, but I've got to get going, I'll see you later," she told her, gathering her books and heading up to her room to grab her Herbology book.

She went to her class then ran back up to her room to put on something a bit more comfortable before heading back down to the Common Room to wait for Harry and Ron.

She was surprised that she hadn't had any more encounters with anyone other than Parvati, people obviously had questions or comments because of the amount of whispers that followed her, but no one seemed to have the backbone to go over and talk to her.

"Hi Harry. Hi Ron," she greeted them as she walked into the Common Room.

"Hey Hermione," they replied.

"We just have to run up and grab our cloaks, we'll be back in a minute," Ron told her.

"Okay," she said as she sat down to wait for them as they took off up the stairs.

They came back down a few minutes later ready to leave. They exited through the portrait hole and made their way to the Entrance Hall to meet Draco.

"So how have things been for you today?" Harry asked her.

"They've been alright, Parvati even offered her support," Hermione laughed, "But other than that, no one's said anything about it, although I can still hear the whispers," she sighed.

"Some people aren't very pleased with it," Ron told her.

"I know," she answered, "But I expected that, they'll get over it."

"Yes, good point," Ron said.

"So are you two going to behave today?" Hermione asked.

"Of course we are," Harry grinned.

"_Harry_..." she started.

"Don't worry Hermione, we'll be good," Ron smiled at her.

"Oh that's reassuring," she groaned.

They both threw their arms around her shoulders.

"That's what we're here for," Harry told her.

"And just think, you're always going to have to put up with us," Ron said.

They removed their arms from her and laughed as Hermione sighed, "Great," she replied.

"You know, Hermione, we've decided that since Malfoy can be man enough to go through all the shit we're sure the Slytherins are putting him through, that we will _actually_ give him a try, without totally ignoring him," Harry said seriously.

"Yeah, if he's willing to do something like that for you, then we can give him a chance," Ron agreed.

"You guys really are the best, you know that, right?" Hermione beamed at them.

"Of course," they grinned.

They walked the rest of the way planning how they wanted to spend the remainder of their day.

After his first class, Draco had almost gotten over what had happened with Pansy earlier. But he couldn't help but notice the amount of stares and whispers that were always there. He knew that the same thing was probably happening to Hermione too.

But he could take it. No one in their right minds had the nerve to say anything about it. Though he was often greeted with disgusted looks from his fellow Slytherins, to which he returned the gesture.

Pansy wouldn't even look at him throughout their classes together. He wasn't sure what his father would tell her if she sent him an owl about her 'new' information on his son. He surely wouldn't tell her about the plan; that would be too dangerous.

By the end of his last class, he was growing quite tired of everyone. The initial reaction was amusing, he never minded being the center of attention, but after hours of relentless talk... couldn't they find anything more interesting to talk about than his love life?

Oh well, they'd get over it eventually.

Draco had explained everything to Blaise after they'd left breakfast that morning, so Blaise had stuck by him all day to show everyone else that it wasn't that big a deal if Blaise himself could get over it.

It was finally time to head off to Hogsmeade so Draco grabbed his cloak and headed for the Entrance Hall, "See you later Blaise, it's time to go out with the Golden Trio," he managed a smirk.

"Have fun, mate," He said, "Oh, and good luck," he added.

As Draco approached, he could hear the three discussing everything they wanted to do in Hogsmeade.

He walked up behind Hermione and took her hand. She jumped at first before she realized who it was.

"Shall we catch a carriage then?" Draco asked, smiling at her.

She was happy to see that he was in a good mood and nodded her head, "Of course."

She reached up and brought Draco's head down to kiss him.

Harry and Ron looked at each other and rolled their eyes, "Alright then, let's go," Harry said when they pulled back.

Draco wrapped his arm around her waist and she leaned into him as they walked outside to catch the carriages. All the way, they felt every pair of eyes on them.


	17. Hogsmeade

Chapter 17: Hogsmeade

The four teens sat in their carriage on their way to Hogsmeade. The ride was pretty quiet, with mild conversation here and there. Oddly enough, it wasn't an awkward silence, but rather a comfortable one.

A few minutes had gone by since anyone had said anything and Draco was looking around the carriage. A random thought came to his head, "Hey Potter, where's your girlfriend?" he inquired.

Harry looked surprised that Draco was talking to him quite civilly and decided that maybe this wasn't going to be _too _terrible.

"She went with some of her other friends," Harry said.

"But Ron and I are meeting up with her later to look for costumes," Hermione added.

"Mum said I have to watch what Ginny buys," Ron explained to Harry.

"So do I get to come and help you look," Draco smirked.

"Nope," She smiled sweetly back at him, "You and Harry get to go elsewhere, you boys aren't allowed to see us until Friday night."

"How come Ron gets to go then?" Harry whined.

"Because Ron isn't dating either of us, that's why. We need someone to give us a male opinion," Hermione told him.

Neither Harry nor Draco knew what to say about having to spend time alone together. Hopefully it wouldn't turn out badly. Though Draco was hoping that maybe this could be good for his task.

After arriving in Hogsmeade, they made their way to the Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer and a snack. There was a bit more conversation, about the upcoming Ball and what they thought the Great Hall should look like.

After a while, Hermione checked the clock.

"We should probably get going," she said, looking at Ron.

"You're probably right," he agreed, turning to Harry, "See you later mate," he said, "And good luck," he added quietly so Hermione didn't hear him.

"Bye Draco," Hermione said giving him a quick kiss, "See you later Harry."

Before they walked out the door she turned back around, "And behave!" she called as Ron dragged her out the door.

Draco and Harry sat there for a few more minute finishing their drinks before getting up to leave.

"So where do you suppose we go?" Harry asked.

"Well I have a feeling we're going to need costumes," Draco answered.

"Ah, right," Harry groaned.

They walked on in silence for a few minutes, "So how's Quidditch training going for Gryffindor," Draco asked, attempting a conversation.

"Oh, it's going great, but I'm not giving you any of our secrets," Harry told him.

"Ah... the rivalry continues," Draco grinned, shaking his head.

"Well of course," Harry replied, "What fun would it be if it didn't."

"True, Potter... too true," Draco agreed.

A few more minutes of silence passed.

"So, Pansy didn't really take the news very well this morning, huh," Harry commented.

"I'd say it was no worse than when we told you and Weasley," Draco smirked, "She'll get over it."

"I have a feeling that Pansy is a bit more thick-headed than Ron and I," Harry said.

Draco just looked at him, "I'm not so sure."

"She did have a point though," Harry started.

"About what?" Draco asked.

"Well, about your father, won't he disown you or something?" Harry asked.

"A bold question," Draco said, "But I think I'll be fine, nothing to worry about. Lucius isn't all bad, you just have to know how to approach him," he lied.

"Yes, I'm sure that if I just approached him right, I'd be fine too, huh?" Harry said sarcastically.

Draco almost laughed, "Well I think it _might_ be a little different if it was you, Potter. What I'm trying to say is that I know how to handle my father, and it won't be a problem."

"Well as long as you don't get Hermione into any danger, then I guess it's okay," Harry said.

Draco cringed inwardly, _Well I guess it's not okay then._

"I could never hurt her," he said, wishing he meant it. The truth was he never _wanted_ to hurt her, but it was kind of inevitable.

"Good," Harry said.

They had reached a costume shop and decided to take a look around.

As soon as they walked in, two of the store clerks came up to them.

"Oh please, allow me to assist you in your search," one overly-excited looking old wizard told Harry, "My name is Sonitus Multum, what are you looking for today?"

"Um, well we're having a Halloween Ball at Hogwarts, you see-" he started.

"Oh, a ball! That's wonderful! Well, follow me right this way, we've just received a wonderful new shipment of costumes. You wouldn't believe-" Draco heard the man saying to Harry as he dragged him away.

Harry looked at Draco pleadingly, but Draco just smirked at him.

The other clerk was a younger woman, "Good afternoon sir, my name is Dulci. Are you looking for the same thing as that other young man?" She asked.

"Yes, I am," Draco replied.

"Is there anything specific you were looking for?" she asked.

"Not at all, I actually have no idea what I want," he answered honestly.

"Oh, this will be fun then," she smiled, "Is there any price range you were looking in?"

"None at all," he grinned, "And I'm sure the other boy won't have a price range either."

"Wonderful, why don't you follow me, Mr..." She stopped.

"Malfoy," he said, "Draco Malfoy."

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, what a honor to have you with us today," she beamed, "And that boy you're with is..."

"Harry Potter," he answered, laughing to himself, not believing that he had just admitted to being with Harry Potter, and how odd it must have sounded.

"_Really_?" She breathed, "A Malfoy willingly in public with Harry Potter?" she said more as a statement than a question, though looking curious.

"Yes, as unusual as it is, I'm dating one of his friends, and she finds it a good idea to make friends with him, so I am," he said simply.

"Well that's sweet. What a lucky girl," she smiled at him, "Now, let's find you a costume."

After a long while of Draco and Harry standing in their dressing rooms while the clerks brought them things to try on, they both finally decided on the costumes they wanted and purchased them, leaving the store.

"Have a nice day," Dulci said to them.

"Please come again!" called Sonitus, "And if you ever need anything else-"

They shut the door, Harry shaking his head.

"If that man could have talked any more, I would have been amazed," he said.

"Really? Well that's too bad, the lady helping me was actually quite nice, and helpful," he smirked.

Harry gave him a weary glare, "Shut it."

"Oh Potter, have a sense of humor," Draco told him.

A few more minutes of silence followed.

"So Malfoy, just to be perfectly clear, you care about Hermione- a lot- correct?" Harry said.

"Of course I do, or else I wouldn't be with her," Draco answered.

"And you're even willing to hang around with people like Ron and I just because she asked you to?" he said.

"If that's what makes her happy," Draco replied.

"You know, Malfoy, maybe this won't be too bad," Harry said.

"What's that?" Draco asked.

"You, with Hermione. I might just be okay with it," he told him.

"Ah, if I only had that in writing," Draco joked.

"That... is simply not going to happen," Harry said with a grin.

Hermione and Ron had met Ginny in the girly costume shop down the street from the Three Broomsticks. They had spent hours picking out costumes to try on.

"Are you ever going to finish?" Ron asked.

"Ron, you just don't understand," Ginny told him.

They tried on costume after costume, showing each one to Ron until they both found one that the others agreed looked amazing and bought them.

When they were finally outside the shop, Ron shook his head, "That could not _possibly_ have taken any longer."

"Oh trust me Ron, it could have," Hermione grinned, "As a matter of fact, I think I saw another one-"

"No! No, Hermione, we're already out, and we're _not_ going back in," he told her.

Hermione and Ginny both laughed, "So Ron, when are you going to buy your costume?" Hermione asked.

"Oh, Harry said he was going to pick one up for me while he was out today," Ron answered sheepishly, embarrassed that Harry was buying his costume.

"Oh, well that's good then, you don't have to go through the pain of going into another shop," Ginny told him.

"Yeah, I guess so," Ron replied.

The three made their way back to the Three Broomsticks where they had planned on meeting Harry and Draco.

"So do you think they're both still alive?" Ginny grinned.

"I doubt it," Ron muttered.

"_Ron!"_ Hermione chided, "I'm sure they're just fine."

They walked in, Hermione looked around hopefully, but didn't see the other boys there yet. They decided to get a table and wait for them.

"So what do you think they found?" Harry asked.

"I couldn't even begin to guess," Draco shook his head.

They were on their way to the Three Broomsticks when Harry stopped.

"Hold on, I want to stop in here," he said.

"Alright," Draco agreed, following Harry into Zonko's joke shop.

While they were looking around, Harry spotted two patches of red hair above the aisle he and Draco were in.

Harry grinned at his luck, and grabbing Malfoy's arm indicating for him to follow, he headed around the corner into the other aisle.

"Ohhh no-" Draco said.

"Oh come off it, Malfoy, it's fine," Harry said, keeping a hold on the other boy, dragging him behind.

"Oi, Harry!" came two voices.

"Hey Fred, hey George!" Harry greeted the Weasley twins, walking over to say hi.

"How's it-" Fred started before noticing Draco following behind Harry, "What are _you_ doing in here, Ferret Boy?" he spat.

Draco scowled, glaring at Harry for bringing him over here. Harry laughed at Draco's expression before turning back to the twins, "Don't worry about him, he's with me," he said waving it off, "So how's business going?"

"Wait a minute, Harry," George said disbelievingly, "Fred did we hear him correctly?"

"I believe we did, George," he replied.

"It couldn't be," George said.

"Never in my life did I think I would hear that coming out of your mouth, Harry," Fred told him.

"Feel free to elaborate," George said expectantly.

"Oh, right," Harry said, forgetting that they hadn't been at Hogwarts so they wouldn't know about what had been going on. He gave them the short version of it, trying to not make it sound like a big deal.

"So you're trying to say-" George started.

"That _our_ Hermione-" Fred continued.

"Is dating-"

"_Willingly_-"

"Draco Malfoy!" they both finished.

"Very good, Weasleys," Draco said sarcastically.

"How long?" Fred asked, ignoring Draco.

"A couple of months now, I guess," Harry shrugged.

"Alright, what's the catch?" George said pointedly to Draco.

"There _is_ no catch, and I would really appreciate it if people would stop asking me," he said, annoyed, "I like being with her, and she likes being with me."

"And you're okay with this, Harry?" George asked.

"Well, it's growing on me, he's not _so_ horrible I guess," Harry smirked.

Draco glared at him, "Funny, Potter."

Harry chuckled, "But it's fine, really, don't worry about it. We were just looking around when I spotted you so I wanted to come over to say hi."

"Well it's good to see ya, Harry!" Fred said, slapping his back.

"So have you guys invented anything new lately?" Harry asked.

"We're in the process of a few new things," Fred told him, throwing warning glances at Malfoy every few minutes.

"We'll let you know when we have something new, Harry," George assured him.

"And if you're lucky, we may even let you test it," Fred grinned at him.

"Wonderful," Harry said sarcastically, "Well, we ought to be going, we're meeting the others at the Three Broomsticks, see you later," Harry said as they headed towards the door.

"See you later, Harry," George called.

"Good luck losing the Ferret!" Harry heard Fred say as they left.

Once outside the shop, Draco turned and scowled at Harry, "Well, that was fun."

"Sorry about that, Malfoy," Harry smiled innocently, "But I haven't seen them since the summer, couldn't just leave without saying anything to them."

Draco grumbled something incomprehensible as they continued walking down the street.

"Oh Malfoy, have a sense of humor!" Harry grinned, mocking Draco from earlier.

Hermione, Ron and Ginny had already ordered drinks by the time the other boys walked in. Hermione flagged them down, relieved to see that they were both in one piece and carrying bags from the costume shop down the street.

Draco walked over and gave Hermione a kiss before taking a seat next to her. Harry sat down next to Ginny, throwing his arm around her.

"So how was your day?" Hermione smiled.

"It was just fine," Draco replied.

"Good to see that you're both back safely," Ginny said.

"As surprising as it is, yes we are," Harry told her, smirking.

Harry and Draco ordered drinks and they all sat around, talking about their day.

"You should have seen the number of things they tried on," Ron was saying, "I didn't believe that they could possibly fit in those fitting rooms with all of those costumes, and then they brought in _more_!"

Harry laughed at his misfortune.

"That's too bad, Ron," Harry said, "By the way, I picked you up a costume."

"Grand," Ron muttered, "As long as I never have to go into a costume shop again."

They all laughed at his whining, even Draco couldn't help but laugh.

"So how do the girls look in their costumes?" Harry asked.

"Well amazing of course," Ron said helplessly, "I mean how could they not find one that looked great, they tried on _everything_!"

"So do we get to see these costumes now?" Draco asked.

"Nope," Hermione smiled, "You have to wait until the ball."

"Well then we're keeping ours a secret too, isn't that right Potter?" Draco told her, turning to Harry.

"Completely correct," he agreed, grinning at Ginny.

"_Completely incorrigible_," Ginny muttered.

They sat around talking for a little while before deciding to head back up to Hogwarts before it got too late.

When they finally reached the grounds, it was dark out. They walked inside together before stopping in front of the stairs leading up to Gryffindor Tower.

Draco pulled Hermione to him, kissing her soundly on the lips before whispering in her ear, "Meet me in the Room of Requirement later tonight?"

She paused for a second, smiling to herself, "Okay," she whispered back, "Twelve o'clock."

He pulled back, kissing her cheek on the way.

"I'll see you later then," he said, "Goodnight everyone, Potter, Weasley, little Weasley," he nodded to each of them.

"Goodnight," they said back, some less enthusiastic than others -cough Ron cough-

He winked at Hermione slyly before leaving them.

They headed back up to Gryffindor Tower chatting some more. When they reached the common room, they all took their usual seats by the fire to relax.

"So did you boys at least have a good time?" Hermione asked.

"Brilliant," Ron muttered.

"Oh Ron, cheer up, at least you didn't have to try on all those costumes," Harry told his friend.

"I guess," Ron sighed, "So how was Malfoy?"

"Not bad, actually," Harry replied.

Ron raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

"Yeah, we didn't talk a lot, but he was civil when we did. And he really does care about Hermione, so I guess I can't complain too much," Harry told him honestly.

Hermione's smile widened at his comment, "I knew you'd see it eventually."

"Well, we're heading off to bed, goodnight," Ron said as he and Harry got up. Harry gave Ginny a long kiss before going off with Ron upstairs.

"I think I'm going to turn in, also," Ginny said, stretching, "Are you coming?"

"Not yet, I'm going to meet Draco," she blushed, smiling, "I'll probably get back pretty late. I'll see you in the morning."

"Alright, have fun!" Ginny called as she headed upstairs.

Hermione grabbed a book that was sitting on the table in front of her and decided to start reading it for a while before it was time for her to leave.

Draco arrived back at his room, finding only Blaise there. He plopped down on his bed, throwing his arms behind his head and sighing.

Blaise looked over the top of the book he was reading, he seemed to have just noticed that Draco had come in.

"So how was your day with Granger and her friends?" he asked.

"It was fine," he replied, "I actually spent most of it with Potter looking for costumes."

Blaise let out a laugh, "And are you _both_ still alive?"

"Surprisingly so. It actually wasn't too bad. Which is definitely good for my task," he said.

"I guess so," Blaise agreed. He put down his book and looked deliberately at Draco, "But how far are you going to go with this, Draco?"

Draco was caught off guard by this question and looked at him blankly for a minute, "What do you mean 'how far'?"

"Well, let's recap, shall we? You've fallen for Granger, and now you're falling for her friends. If you stay this emotionally involved with them, then I don't know how you're going to finish this," Blaise told him seriously.

"You're reading too much into this, I haven't fallen for her friends, I just decided that if I'm going to have to do this anyways, I may as well learn to tolerate them," Draco defended.

Blaise shook his head, "You have a bad habit of never listening to me," he said before laying back down.

Draco sat there for a few minutes thinking about what Blaise had said, _Could I possibly be 'falling for her friends'_ he thought to himself. He knew that if he was, it would be very dangerous.

But there was nothing he could do. He shouldn't even be this close to Hermione, but it was just one of those things that he couldn't help. He just loved being around her, loved talking to her, loved her personality, loved the little things she did when she was mad. He loved-

_No._ No, he couldn't. He didn't care what it took, he would never say those words. Not to anyone, not even himself. He banished that word from his head, knowing that that word only brought pain.

He looked over at the clock, it was nearing twelve. He got up and walked to the door. He had almost gotten out when Blaise's voice broke through the silence.

"You're going to meet her, aren't you?" It wasn't really a question, but more of a statement.

"I'll see you later," Draco answered, evading the question and shutting the door quietly.

He stood there for a minute, _What am I doing?_ He asked himself. Going to meet her would only deepen his feelings for her, and hurt them both more in the long run.

But he couldn't _not_ go. That was the problem. He needed her, needed her to keep him sane.

Taking a deep breath he stepped away from his door and headed for the Room of Requirement.


	18. Just An Offer

Chapter 18: Just An Offer

Hermione sat in the Room of Requirement for about ten minutes until Draco showed up, which was unusual since he was never late.

"Sorry about that," he said as he walked over and gave her a kiss.

"What held you up?" she asked.

"Oh, just Blaise," he said nonchalantly.

"Alright," she smiled, "So did you have a good time today?"

"You know, it actually wasn't bad," he said sitting down and throwing his arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and sighed contentedly, "So do you think you'll be able to get along with them?"

"Yeah, I think I can put up with them for a while," he smirked, kissing the top of her head.

"Good, because I was thinking I might just be able to put up with you for a little while too," she murmured, eyes closed.

He let out a little laugh, "Well that's always good to hear."

"Mmhmm..." she answered.

He held her there for a few minutes, taking in the feeling of just being there with her, and forgetting about what was to come later. After a little while, he noticed her breathing had gotten slower and her eyes were still closed.

"Hey, wake up," he nudged her softly.

"Mmhmm..."

He grinned, if she wasn't going to wake up willingly, he'd just have to make her wake up.

He picked her up and lay her back down so she was lying across the whole couch. He kneeled down next to it and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"Come on, Hermione," he whispered.

Her reaction was to groan and turn over away from him. As she did so, she smirked, but enough so that he didn't notice. She had to have _some_ kind of fun.

"Wake up, Hermione," he whispered into her upturned ear.

Another groan.

He kissed her ear, sending a shiver down her back.

"How about now?" he coaxed.

Another groan.

"No?" he asked, moving over to kiss her cheek, "How about now?"

Another groan.

He moved down to kiss her jaw bone, and saw the faintest trace of a grin on her lips.

"I know you're awake," he whispered in her ear again.

He saw her grin get wider.

He moved closer to her lips as if to kiss them, but right as he was about to, he changed his course of action and tickled her stomach.

Hermione jumped and let out a little squeak in surprise. She sat up and glared at him.

"See, I knew you were awake," he smirked at her.

"I was comfortable!" she complained.

"Too comfortable, _dear_, you seem to be taking up the whole couch," he smiled sweetly at her.

She returned the gesture, "Well then either make some room for yourself, too, or find another couch."

"Alright then," he gave her a cocky smile, picking her up in his arms and setting her on the floor as he took her spot on the couch.

She sat there looking stunned, "You... did... _not_... just do that Draco Malfoy!" she exclaimed.

"You told me to make room," he said innocently.

"You sure are _something_, you know that?" she muttered, standing up.

"Oh there's no need to tell me how amazing I am, Hermione, I'm too modest for that."

"Modest, yes, that was _exactly_ the word I was thinking of," she said, rolling her eyes and putting her hands on her hips.

"You know, you're cute when you're mad," he told her.

"And you're a suck up... _all_ the time," she retorted.

"Ah yes," he agreed, "_and you love it_."

She couldn't help but laugh at him, "You're just so full of yourself!"

"But I'm good at it," he smiled, pulling her down on top of him.

"Hey, what was that for!" she exclaimed.

"Just sweeping you off of your feet again," he said, kissing her.

"Maybe I was comfortable standing up," she said, her tone of voice clearly stating the opposite.

"I wasn't comfortable with you standing up," he told her, "But I'm comfortable now."

She laughed and bent her head down next to his ear, "Good, because so am I," she whispered.

He turned her head and looked her in the eyes, "I have that affect on people," he smirked, bringing his lips up to hers.

He gave her short, soft kisses for a few minutes, moving from her lips, to her cheek, to her jaw, to her neck, where he decided to spend a little more time.

She reached her hands up and ran them through his silky hair.

He moved his kisses back up to her mouth, running his tongue across her lips until she opened her mouth to him.

Hermione could hardly believe the passion that surged between them. With every touch she fell deeper into him. Every minute she stayed there with him, was another minute she couldn't pull herself away. Their hands searched the other's body, their tongues exploring the other's mouth.

After a long while, Draco moved his kisses back down to her neck. She sighed contentedly, moving her head to the side to give him more access. She wanted to savor that moment forever.

Unfortunately, nothing could ever be that easy. It was getting late, and they had classes in the morning.

"Draco," she said softly.

"Mmm..." he answered, still kissing her neck.

"Draco it's getting late," she told him.

"Mmm..." he answered again, not moving from his current position or letting her go.

"We have classes in the morning," she said.

He finally pulled back to look up at her, "Let's just stay here," he suggested.

"Not tonight, we have classes in the morning," she said again.

He groaned, finally releasing her. She stood up and grabbed his hands to pull him up.

"Come on," she laughed, "I need my sleep, as do you."

"Fine, fine," he sighed, "But this weekend, don't expect me to let you go this easily," he whispered in her ear.

She blushed, biting her lip to suppress a smile, "I'll try to remember that," she said, grabbing his hand and dragging him with her out the door.

"So are you excited about the ball?" he asked her, swinging her hand back and forth with his.

"Of course I am," she grinned.

"I'm quite interested in what you picked out for a costume," he said slyly.

"Guess you'll just have to wait," she winked at him.

They'd reached the stairs heading up to Gryffindor Tower.

Hermione pulled him in for one last lingering kiss before letting go of his hand and heading up the stairs.

"Goodnight," she called, looking over her shoulder at him.

"See you tomorrow," he replied, smiling at her before turning around to head down to the dungeons.

As he walked back, his mind was reeling. He loved kissing her. He hated doing this to her. He loved talking to her. He hated leading her on. He loved just spending time with her. He hated the effect it was having on him, and the damage it would eventually do to her.

"Ah, Mr. Malfoy, fancy seeing you out and about at this time of night."

Draco spun around to see Dumbledore walking towards him.

"Good evening, Headmaster," Draco greeted him, "I was just out for a bit of a walk, couldn't sleep," he lied.

"Yes, I often find myself wandering these corridors late at night when my mind is working overtime also," Dumbledore said. He had always had the keen sense of knowing exactly what was going on all the time.

"I was actually just headed back to bed," Draco said, motioning towards the stairs leading down to the dungeons.

"Nonsense, you don't look a bit tired, how about we head up to my office and have a chat?" Dumbledore asked, not waiting for an answer before leading the boy to the gargoyle guarding his office.

"Fudge Flies," Dumbledore said.

The gargoyle sprang to life and jumped aside, allowing the two to pass and head up the revolving stair case.

Dumbledore walked into his office and sat down in his chair, motioning for Draco to take the seat across from him.

"So Mr. Malfoy, what could one have on his mind to be out at such a late hour?" Dumbledore inquired, a visible twinkle in his eye.

"Just one of those nights, I guess," Draco replied, leaning back in his chair. He was sure Dumbledore could see right through him, but he probably already knew what was going on anyways, there was no reason to say more than he had to.

"Ah, yes," Dumbledore put his hands together, "I get those sometimes. Has this been happening often?"

"Oh, just once in a while, sir," Draco answered.

"Yes, when I was a student here, I must admit that I often got the urge to sort my thoughts wandering the corridors by myself after hours," Dumbledore admitted, "Although, as to the complexity of the situation, I may have been just a bit more curious and bored."

He took off his half-moon spectacles and set them on the desk, "Of course, some people have more important reasons for using such an odd hour to think; more complex situations."

Draco nodded at the old man.

"I couldn't help but notice this morning that there seemed to be a bit of a spark between yourself and Ms. Granger," he said in a conversational tone.

"Yes, sir," was all Draco said.

"Most interesting," Dumbledore said, more to himself than to Draco, "Well, is there anything you'd like to talk about, or tell me, before you head off to bed?" he asked.

"No, sir, I'm actually quite tired," Draco answered.

The twinkle seemed to falter a bit, "Well, then, I guess it's off to bed with you, you must have had a long day."

"Yes, sir," Draco said, getting up.

"Mr. Malfoy, I cannot help but stress the fact that you have friends here. You have people who are willing to help you. And if you should ever need anything, advice, or to talk, my door is always open; I trust you will remember the password," Dumbledore said to him as he reached the door.

Draco stopped for a minute, turning around and nodding to the headmaster, "Goodnight," he said, walking out and closing the door behind him.

He walked quickly back to his room, hoping to avoid further conversation with anyone that night. As soon as his head hit his pillow, thoughts seemed to fill it.

Dumbledore knew. Draco didn't know how much he knew, but he knew something was going on. He'd always been too smart for his own good. He'd offered guidance, he'd offered help. Though Draco knew he could never turn to Dumbledore for any of that, he felt like there was someone looking after him, hoping he would choose the right decision; someone who cared about what might happen to him if he didn't. He'd never had that before.

His sleep that night was rough. He tossed and turned all night, his thoughts seeming to keep him awake even though his brain was so tired. As much as he tried to shut those thoughts out, things were getting more complicated, and he didn't know how he could ever go through with this. But he had no choice.

Dumbledore watched as Draco left his office. He knew something was happening. There was no other explanation for it. He could tell that the boy truly cared for Hermione, but he knew better than to think it was random and unplanned.

He couldn't pry it out of Draco, though. He would have to wait until the boy came to him, _if_ the boy came to him. Dumbledore didn't doubt that Draco would stay quiet, he actually expected it. Lucius was very powerful, and very persuasive.

Finally, Dumbledore decided that he'd just have to keep an extra close eye on the boy. He sighed, setting his glasses back on his crooked nose and going back to his work.


	19. Late Night Encounter

Chapter 19: Late Night Encounter

It was a cool, sunny Thursday as Harry woke up to an owl pecking at his arm. He shooed it away groggily, but the bird showed no indication of relenting.

Finally he groaned and sat up, glaring at the bird before untying the note from its leg. As soon as he had, the bird flew off again.

Harry watched it, unrolling the parchment. It read:

_I have information on the plans of You-Know-Who. I can't explain and I can't say who I am. But trust me, this will be helpful to you. Meet me at 12:00 tonight just inside the Forbidden Forest. Please do not disregard this letter._

Harry read it through again. He furrowed his brows in concentration trying to come up with its meaning in his waking hours.

Harry looked over as Ron rolled over in his bed, mouth open and snoring. He rolled his eyes and figured he should show the note to Ron.

"Hey!" Harry called.

No response.

"Ron!" he tried again.

Still nothing.

Finally he grabbed a piece of parchment from his bedside table, crumpled it up at threw it at Ron.

It hit him right in between his eyes and he bolted into a sitting position in his bed.

"Fred did it!" he exclaimed loudly, "It's not my fault!"

"What's not your fault, Ron?" Harry chuckled at his friend.

Ron shook his head, squinting over at Harry.

"Good morning," Harry smiled innocently.

"Bloody hell Harry, what was that for?" Ron complained.

"Come here, you've got to see this," Harry said, throwing his legs over the side of the bed.

Ron reluctantly crawled out of bed and walked sleepily over to Harry's bed, sitting down next to him to read the letter.

After he finished he looked up at Harry, "So what do you think?" Ron asked him.

"I don't really know what to make of it. There are three possibilities that I've come up with," Harry told him.

"Which are...?" Ron prompted.

"Well, the first would be, it's someone's idea of a funny joke. The second would be that it's a trap, and the third would be that it's legitimate," Harry said.

"What do you suppose we do?" Ron asked.

"Well, I think the safest idea would be to..."

"Go to Dumbledore?" Ron asked.

"No," Harry said, "I was going to say meet with whoever this is tonight. I'd hate to risk losing valuable information if it is legitimate because I was too scared to go."

"But, wouldn't it be a better if we told Dumbledore first?" Ron whined.

"For one, you're sounding an awful lot like Hermione; second, we can handle this," Harry said.

"I do not sound like Hermione!" Ron huffed.

"Fine," Harry said, waving it off, "But speaking of which, I don't think we should tell her about this, I think maybe just the two of us should go, just in case it is a trap."

"I agree," Ron nodded.

They made plans to meet back in the common room at quarter to midnight, and headed to breakfast.

The day seemed to go by relatively slowly as they anticipated what was to come later. Around ten, Hermione had decided to turn in early so she would be well rested for the next night. By eleven, there were only a few people still left in the common room and by eleven-thirty, Harry and Ron were the only ones left.

They had been sitting in the corner by the fire place playing Wizard's Chess all night. They looked around to make sure they were completely alone before they got up.

"I'll run upstairs and grab the invisibility cloak," Harry whispered, taking off up the stairs. When he came back down, he was carrying the cloak in his hand, along with the Marauder's Map.

"Ready?" Ron asked.

"Yes, let's go," Harry said, throwing the cloak over himself and Ron.

Together, they made their way down to the Forbidden Forest. Once inside, they pulled off the cloak and found a nice rock to sit down on and while they waited. They both had their wands in their hands- just in case.

Draco sat up in the Slytherin common room finishing his homework and socializing with his fellow classmates.

As he sat watching Crabbe and Goyle playing Exploding Snaps, he thought about going up to bed, yet he couldn't help but notice Pansy over in the other corner having a hushed conversation with Millicent Bulstrode.

Since they were talking over where Crabbe and Goyle were, he decided to investigate. He nonchalantly walked over to the two knuckle-heads and pretended to be watching them more closely while he eavesdropped on the girls' conversation.

"...And I overheard them whispering about it earlier!" Pansy whispered excitedly, "This is going to be hilarious!"

"I can't wait to see the look on their faces when he shows up! The '_Golden Trio'_ will be devastated," Millicent laughed, "That letter was pure genius!"

Draco had remembered seeing Harry and Ron talking with their heads together a lot that day, but he hadn't thought anything of it, apparently something was going on.

"I know, they're probably sitting down in the Forbidden Forest right now just waiting. What a surprise they'll get when Snape shows up!" Pansy grinned.

"They'll get detention for months, maybe even expelled since it _is_ out-of-bounds!" Millicent's eyes lit up.

_Idiots!_ Draco screamed in this head. They would ruin everything if they got Potter and Weasley expelled.

"I hope that Mudblood is there, this school could do with one less of _those_," Pansy wrinkled her nose.

"Hermione..." Draco breathed.

With that, he raced out of the common room towards the castle grounds. As he approached the Forest, he could just make out the forms of the two boys. He let out a sigh of relief, (first because Hermione wasn't there, and second because no one had caught them yet), then he realized that he wasn't the only other one out there.

Walking swiftly towards Harry and Ron was Professor Snape.

Draco stopped short. He could still turn back, he hadn't been sighted yet, and detention was not the first thing on his list. But thinking about it again, this could be his chance to gain Potter and Weasley's trust.

He took a deep breath and continued forward, walking this time.

"Potter, Weasley," came Snape's cold voice, "I should have guessed it was you two out here. Who else would blatantly break the curfew rule, _while_ being in an obvious out-of-bounds area. I would say this may be grounds for expulsion, especially added in with _all_ of your other mishaps," Snape's lip curled up in an attempted smirk that looked more like a snarl.

"Sir, we-" Harry started.

"Good evening, Professor," came Draco's drawl.

Snape turned around, "What are you doing out here Mr. Malfoy?" Snape said incredulously.

"Well you see, sir, this is my fault. I thought it would be funny to send Potter and Weasley into the Forest after hours. But then I thought about how dangerous it might be, so I came out here to stop them. Of course I figured if they'd had half a brain, they wouldn't have come anyways, I still thought I should check, and since it _is_ Potter and Weasley, here they are," Draco said.

"How could you possibly have conned them into coming out here?" Snape asked.

"I told them..." Draco started, but he really didn't know how Pansy had gotten them out here, "I sent them an anonymous letter saying there was something important waiting here for them that they could only pick up tonight," he said lamely. He mentally slapped himself for not coming up with a better story earlier.

Snape turned back to Harry and Ron, "And you two believed such an elementary ploy?"

Before waiting for an answer, he continued, "But then again, if someone has a present for you, you love the attention, don't you Potter," he sneered.

Harry opened his mouth to retort but Draco cut him off, "Sorry for the trouble sir, but we should all head back to bed."

"You're not all getting off that easily," Snape said, "But Draco, since you were..._ involved_ in this, I guess I shall cut the punishment to two weeks of detention. My room, eight o'clock every night, starting Saturday."

With that, he turned and stomped off.

Once Snape was out of earshot, Harry and Ron turned to Draco.

"Thanks," Harry said.

"Yeah... thanks," Ron added.

"Don't worry about it," Draco said, turning around to head back up to the castle with the other two.

"So how did you know?" Harry asked, "You weren't really in on it were you?"

"No, Potter, I wasn't," Draco sighed, "I heard Pansy talking about it to someone in the common room a little while ago, so I ran down here to see if I could get to you before Snape did."

"Oh," Harry said, thinking over the situation.

"Wait, so you _willingly_ came down here to help us?" Ron asked.

"Yeah, I guess I did," Draco said, "Pansy can be a right git sometimes, you didn't know what you were getting into."

"True," Harry replied.

"How did she get you to come, anyways?" Draco asked.

Ron looked at Harry, unsure whether or not to answer truthfully, Harry nodded his head at him.

"She sent us a letter saying she had information on You-Know-Who. We knew there was a good chance it wasn't real, but we didn't want to give up the opportunity if it was," Ron answered.

Draco just nodded.

"So looks like we're all stuck in detention for a couple of weeks," Harry said.

"Good thing Malfoy showed up, or else it would have been months, maybe even into next year, knowing Snape," Ron grimaced at the thought.

"See, I am good for some things," Draco smirked.

"Yeah, some things," Harry said with a sideways smile.

When they reached the part of the castle where they would head their separate ways, Ron put a hand on Draco's shoulder.

Draco turned around, "Yeah?" he asked.

"I just- well I mean you didn't have to do that for us tonight, so I guess- I just wanted to say thanks... again," Ron finally got out.

"Oh," Draco said, looking stunned. He didn't usually expect compliments from Weasley, "Well don't worry about it, besides, someone has to look after you two," he recovered by smirking at them.

"See you tomorrow then," Harry said as he and Ron headed up to Gryffindor Tower.

"Goodnight," Draco replied, going the opposite way towards the dungeons.

He couldn't believe it; he'd just saved Potter and Weasley from Snape. Everything seemed to be coming together by itself. He almost wished it wasn't so easy, because now that hard part was going to be facing whatever fate his father had planned.


	20. The Ball

Chapter 20: The Ball

Hermione woke up Friday morning feeling completely rested and refreshed. She got ready and made her way down to the common room. She was no more surprised than any other time to find Harry and Ron not there. She sighed, shaking her head at their lack of initiative in the morning.

She looked around the room and spotting Neville, she smiled.

She walked over to him, "Good morning, Neville," she said cheerfully.

Neville had been sitting in a chair staring straight ahead at the wall before she had come over. He looked up at her, "Good morning," he said looking downtrodden.

"Are you alright?" she asked sounding concerned.

"I suppose, but you wouldn't believe it," he said, standing up, "I've lost Trevor, _again_!"

"Oh, Neville, I'm sure he's around here somewhere," Hermione reassured him.

"I guess you're right, he'll turn up eventually," he sighed, "Were you headed down to breakfast?"

"Yes, care to join me?" she offered.

"I guess I should," he answered, turning and heading towards the portrait hole.

She held back a chuckle, _the poor boy_, she thought, following him down to breakfast, every once in a while giving him reassuring words.

Harry and Ron were not so awake and cheery that morning. They had been up late and were still agonizing over their rotten luck of having detention with Snape for _two_ weeks.

They walked into the Great Hall for breakfast, scanning the table for Hermione and wandering over to sit down.

"Good morning, boys," she greeted them.

"Morning," they both mumbled.

"You should have gone to bed earlier," she said knowingly.

"We'll explain later," Harry told her.

She rolled her eyes, going back to her homework conversation with Neville about the correct amount of dragon dung manure needed for Screechsnap plants.

"I honestly think it's four scoops," Neville was saying.

"No, Neville, four is too much, it'll start squeaking and wriggling if you use four..."

Before listening to the rest of what Hermione was saying, Ron turned to Harry.

"So how bad do you think the detentions will be?" he asked gloomily.

"It's Snape," Harry answered, "Use your imagination."

As the Hall filled up, the excitement for the ball that evening escalated. Anywhere you went you could hear people talking about it.

As the last class ended, the students filed out of their classrooms, eager to start getting ready, though they still had a good three hours.

"Harry, Ron," Hermione turned and addressed them cheerfully as they reached the common room, "Ginny and I will be back down when we're all dressed and ready. We're leaving here at quarter to eight. Make sure you're down here."

They both grinned at her, "Of course, 'Mione, we'll be here."

She looked them over again, "Don't get into trouble," she added before turning around and leading Ginny up the stairs towards the girls' dormitories.

"Frankly, I'm offended," Ron said in a fake serious tone.

"As am I, the nerve of her," Harry played along.

"To think, _us_, get in _trouble_!" Ron put a hand to his heart.

"It hurts, I know, Ron," Harry put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Oh, really, you two," Came the exasperated voice of Parvati.

"When _haven't_ you two gotten in trouble when Hermione wasn't around?" Lavender grinned at them, blushing when she turned to Ron.

Ron gave her a goofy smile, but before he could get out a comment that would surely make him sound stupid, Harry interjected, "Too true, ladies. Well, it looks like it's about time for us to head upstairs, maybe for a nap, since it doesn't take _us_ three hours to get dressed."

Parvati laughed and rolled her eyes, "We really should start getting ready, we'll see you tonight."

"See you later then," Harry waved, grabbing Ron's arm to drag him up the stairs.

"Yes, see you tonight," he added, trying to pry his arm from Harry's grip. When he finally did, he turned back to Lavender, "Save a dance for me?" he asked shyly.

Lavender blushed even more, "Sure, Ron," she smiled, "I'll see you later then."

With that, Harry and Parvati both let out loud sighs, grabbing their friends and pulling them up to their respected dorm rooms.

"Real smooth, Ron," Harry smirked at him.

Ron's ears turned a dark shade of red, close to the color of his hair, "Shut it, Harry," he mumbled.

"So what do you suppose those girls _do_ for three hours?" Harry inquired.

"Honestly, Harry, I think it's safer if we don't know," Ron answered, crawling into his bed, "Wake me up when we have about ten minutes."

"Sounds like a plan, goodnight," Harry said, turning off his bedside lamp.

As seven-thirty rolled around, girls everywhere could be found frantically running around doing touch-ups on their make-up they'd done hours ago, looking for that perfect accessory to go with their costume, or placing an extra holding spell on their hair.

"Parvati, have you seen my rhinestone dangle earrings?" Lavender shouted from the bathroom.

"Third drawer on the left, blue box, third row down, fifth set in," Parvati answered, magically curling her hair into little sausage curls.

"What about my sparkle moisturizer?" Lavender called again.

"You let Hermione use it about twenty minutes ago, you might want to ask her," Parvati told her.

"Where is she?" Lavender asked in a desperate manner, peeking her head out of the bathroom.

"She should be back any minute, she just ran down to get Ron's sister," Parvati said calmly, grabbing the dark blue eye shadow from her bag.

A moment later, Hermione walked back into the room, Ginny in toe.

"Hermione!" Lavender smiled in relief, "My sparkle moisturizer?"

"I left it right on the sink," Hermione told her, looking confused.

Lavender's head disappeared from view, "Oh, it's right here!" she called.

"Hermione, you look... dazzling!" Parvati commented.

Hearing this, Lavender's head came back into sight, "Oh, wow, you _do!"_ she exclaimed.

Hermione blushed, she wasn't used to compliments from the beauty queens of the school, "Thank you," she smiled.

"Oh, Ginny, isn't that adorable!" Lavender said.

Parvati nodded in agreement, "So cute on you," she said.

When they were all ready, they headed down to the common room.

Standing with their backs turned towards the girls were Harry and Ron.

Lavender cleared her throat loudly to get their attention. They turned around and Hermione couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Seriously!" she choked out.

The other girls were all grinning.

"What?" asked Ron. Obviously Harry hadn't explained the costumes well, since they were muggle-related.

"I know they're snapdex, or whatever you call them-" Ron started.

"_Spandex!_" Hermione interjected, laughing hysterically.

"-Yes, those, but why is that so funny?" Ron asked, his entire face the color of his costume.

"Harry, did you-" But before she could even get the question out, Harry smirked and shook his head.

"Oh, that's brilliant!" Hermione said.

Ginny had no idea what was _so_ funny, but she still found the idea of her brother and her boyfriend wearing spandex amusing.

"Would you please explain this to me?" Ron asked.

"Harry- _Batman_! And you- _Robin_!" Hermione was clutching her stomach she was laughing so hard.

"I wish I had a camera!" she exclaimed.

Hermione finally calmed down enough to explain to Ron who Batman and Robin were and he blushed and even darker shade. He was the sidekick. He glared at Harry.

"What? I thought it would be funny!" Harry grinned.

"Okay, enough about _your_ costumes," Parvati said, waving the subject off, "What do you think of _ours_?"

He smirked as he looked at Ginny's costume, "Odd how we all think the same sometimes," he commented.

"How?" Ginny asked, apparently quite lost, she didn't think her costume resembled his at all.

Hermione finally took a minute to take it all in, Ron was Robin, Harry was Batman, and Ginny, dressed in a tight, black, shiny unitard, a mask and pointy ears on her head, was Catwoman.

"Ironic," Hermione said, more to herself than the others.

This time, she let Harry explain the significance.

Ron looked at Parvati, "You are..."

"A genie!" she smiled. She was wearing dark blue parachute pants with a dark blue belly shirt and, on top of her curled hair was a little hat with transparent fabric going down underneath her chin and back up to the other side.

Ron nodded his head in agreement, "Yes, you are," he confirmed. He turned to Lavender, "And you look wonderful," he said quietly.

"Thank you Ron," she smiled.

"What are you supposed to be?" Harry asked.

"I'm a _cake_!" she said, rolling her eyes. She was wearing a long, pink dress that puffed out at her hips. Every couple of inches down there was a circle of green 'frosting' going around the dress. The rhinestone necklace, bracelet and earrings she wore were what she called the 'icing on the cake.' She also wore a rhinestone Tiara with candles going across it.

"Ah, I see it now, creative," Harry said.

They both turned to Hermione, "And you," Harry said, "Look absolutely amazing."

"Definitely," Ron agreed, "And quite perfect for you."

They made their way down to the Entrance Hall, where Hermione was meeting Draco and Parvati was meeting her date, some seventh year from Ravenclaw.

Hermione reached the bottom of the stairs, still not finding Draco. She told the others to go on ahead and she'd meet them in there.

Draco's day had been much like any of the other boys in the school. He had gone to classes, came back to his room and taken a nap. He did, however, wake up around seven to shower before getting dressed.

He looked in the mirror. _Perfect_, he thought.

With that, he made his way down to the Entrance Hall to meet Hermione. He was a couple minutes past when he said he'd meet her, but he could settle with fashionably late.

He saw the back of her hair first: wavy, shiny, and a little more than half-way down her back- obviously done with magic. He smiled, grabbing her hand to turn her around. She jumped a little, but smiled when she realized who it was.

His eyes scanned her costume. _Absolutely perfect_, he thought to himself.

She wore a long, strapless, white dress that was fit to her body, but flowed out from her waist down and pooled around her feet. Her hair came down past her chest, the angle framing her face. Her make-up was simple, white eye shadow, sparkles adorning her cheeks and mascara lengthening her lashes. Hovering over her head was a silver halo. Around her neck sat a beautiful diamond necklace.

"Stunning," he breathed, "Angelic, even," he smirked.

Hermione's smile brightened at his comment, "Well I must say, your costume goes well for you," she said, running her eyes down his body. He was wearing a black cape with black slacks and a blood-red button-up shirt- designer made, she was sure, for it was fit perfectly for him. He wore a simple cross necklace and had lengthened his canine teeth. His complexion was perfect for the costume.

Hermione leaned up and kissed him softly on the lips, "Shall we go, Dracula?"

Draco took her hand and led her towards the Great Hall, his eyes never leaving hers.

"How did you get that to stay?" Draco asked, motioning towards her halo.

"Well, I couldn't very well put it on my head, it would have messed up my hair, according to Lavender," she replied rolling her eyes, "It was a simple spell, really, it was just finding the spell that was the hard part."

"So how does everyone else look?" Draco asked.

Hermione chuckled, "Just wait until you see Harry, Ron and Ginny, you're going to die laughing. Well, maybe after I explain it to you, you will. But you'll have to see it first."

They opened the doors to the Great Hall. Many heads turned when the couple walked in. Pansy huffed and dragged her date over to a table to sit down. The whispers started almost immediately. Ignoring it, they made their way over to Harry, Ron, Ginny and Lavender. Parvati was off dancing with her Ravenclaw boy.

"Good evening, everyone," Draco greeted them, smirking as he looked at the three people in front of him in tight costumes.

"Draco, let me introduce you to Batman, Robin, and Catwoman," Hermione grinned.

After Hermione explained the significance of everything to Draco, he burst out laughing.

"Rotten luck, Weasley," he smirked after he'd finally calmed down.

Dumbledore got up on the stage and looked out at his students, clearing his throat, "I'd like your attention please," he said as the hall quieted immediately, "I have a bit of a surprise for you all, say as a Halloween gift," he said with a twinkle in his eye. With that, he motioned to the curtain behind him and stepped off the stage.

The curtains rose and out stepped some very familiar wizards.

"Good evening, Hogwarts!" came a magnified voice.

Dumbledore had gotten the Weird Sisters to play at the ball, causing a mob of excited students to swarm the stage.

The Weird Sisters played all of their big hits, keeping the crowd entertained and happy.

The friends danced together, sat around the tables and talked over butterbeer, and enjoyed a relaxing night. About an hour into it, Ron had even asked Lavender to dance. After that, he had decided to keep an arm around her for the rest of the night. Lavender didn't seem too upset by this; she even snuggled up closer to him while they were sitting at the table.

Around twelve-thirty, Draco pulled Hermione to the dance floor for a slow dance. She put her arms around his neck, and pulled his forehead down to meet hers. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"I'm having a wonderful time," she told him.

"I'm glad," he replied, moving his lips to her ear, "Let's go for a walk."

He grabbed her hand and led her through the crowds of people and out of the Great Hall.

They opened the castle doors, walking out into the cool air.

"It's beautiful out tonight," Hermione said.

"And so are you," he whispered in her ear.

"Oh stop!" she said, hitting him playfully on the arm,

He smirked, putting an arm around her waist and leading her through the Hogwarts garden. Hermione leaned against him, sighing contentedly.

"So where are we headed?" she asked.

"You'll see," he said mysteriously.

She looked up at him, "Should I be scared?" she joked.

"Of course not, I'm here," he grinned.

He led her down to the Quidditch pitch, "Wait here, I'll be back in a minute," he told her.

He ran into the locker room and came back with a large object in his hand.

"Ohhh no..." Hermione said, backing away.

"Now, Hermione-"

"No, no, no, no, _no_," she said, shaking her head.

"If you think it's beautiful down here, you'll think it's heaven up there. And I think you're dressed perfectly for the occasion," he told her.

"I _hate_ flying," she said skeptically.

"I'll be up there with you," he said.

"I just can't do it," Hermione said firmly.

"Don't you trust me?" Draco pouted, sticking out his bottom lip before smiling at her.

"Well, yes, but-" she'd lost, "_fine_. But if anything happens to me, I'm blaming it on you."

His smile faltered. Why did she have to trust him so much? It would be easier if she didn't.

Blocking out all thoughts of later, he positioned himself on the broom and motioned for her to sit in front of him.

She hesitated for a second before taking a deep breath and getting on.

"Are you ready?" He asked.

"I guess so," she answered.

He kissed her bare shoulder, placed his arms around her body to hang onto the broom and kicked off the ground gently.

He felt her take a sharp intake of breath, "It's okay," he told her reassuringly, "Just close your eyes, I'll tell you when to open them."

After he had positioned the broom high above the stands, he came to a stop, leaning his head down, "You can open them now," he told her.

Slowly and cautiously, she opened her eyes. The sight was breathtaking.

"Wow," she murmured.

"Nice, isn't it?" Draco said.

"Beautiful," she replied.

"Stay the night with me?" Draco asked.

"Here?" she asked, confused.

"No, not _here_," he grinned, "The Room of Requirement."

"Okay," she answered, smiling to herself. Who would have ever imagine she'd be here right now, on a broom in the early hours of the morning, being asked to stay the night with _Draco Malfoy_. She bit her bottom lip; oh how she wished she could savor this moment forever.

A cool breeze blew by, causing Hermione to shiver.

"You must be freezing, I forgot you didn't have a coat," Draco said, positioning the broom to descend back to the ground.

"I'm alright, but we should be headed back to the castle anyway," she said, holding onto the broom a little tighter.

When they reached the Room of Requirement, Hermione had warmed up a bit. Draco had given her his cape to wrap around herself after they had reached the ground.

Opening the door to their room, they found a bed waiting for them. A fireplace sat across from the bed with two couches opposite each other in front of it. A table sat in between the couches, two mugs of hot chocolate upon it.

Hermione sat down on one couch, gratefully taking a sip from her mug. Draco sat across from her, picking up his mug also.

"So did you have a good time tonight?" he asked her.

"Yes, I had a wonderful time, thank you," she smiled at him.

"Then my job is done," he said, pretending to get up to leave.

"Not funny!" she pouted, setting down her empty mug.

He smirked at her, "Well I don't know about you, but I'm tired."

"I suppose you're right, shall we go to bed?" Hermione suggested.

Draco walked around the table and took her hands to pull her up, kissing her cheek as he did.

He walked her over to the bed, sitting down and pulling her to stand between his legs. She threw her arms around his neck and sighed, resting her forehead against his.

"You can't very well sleep in that dress," he grinned.

"Don't worry, I have something else to sleep in," she smiled innocently at him.

She unzipped her dress, letting it fall and pool around her feet. She was wearing a white, silk underdress that ended around mid-thigh. Draco's eyes scanned her body.

"Beautiful," he commented, kissing her shoulder.

She stepped away from him, climbing onto the bed and under the covers, "I really am tired," she told him.

He let out a chuckle, "I'm sure you are, you've had a long day."

He unbuttoned his shirt and pulled off his slacks. He was left wearing nothing but a pair of emerald green, silk boxers. Hermione couldn't help but stare at his stomach.

"Nice, isn't it," he said arrogantly.

She rolled her eyes, "Get in bed."

He climbed into bed with her and put his arms around her. He kissed her softly, moving his mouth from her lips to her neck. He heard her sigh contentedly, wrapping her arms around him. He brought his lips back up to hers, kissing her soundly.

After their lips broke apart, she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"I love just being here with you," she said sleepily.

"So do I," Draco replied, staring ahead of him at the wall.

"Can't we just stay here forever?" Hermione suggested.

Draco let out a dry laugh, _I wish_, he thought to himself, "We can stay here now, and now is all I'm worried about at the moment," he whispered sweetly.

Hermione lifted her head to look into his eyes, "You're right, right now is all that matters," she smiled, kissing him softly once more before laying her head back on the pillow, arms still wrapped tightly around Draco, and closing her eyes.

Draco looked down at her, smiling only slightly. He couldn't even begin to say how much he wished they _could_ just stay there forever. How much he wished he'd never have to leave her. The cruel truth would hit him hard when the time came. He couldn't think about that now though, all he wanted to think about was the fact that _right now_, he was here with the beautiful girl who had fallen asleep beside him.

His smile widened, and he lowered his head down to kiss the top of her head. In that moment, she looked like an angel, maybe _his_ angel. He wished she could save him from his future. But he knew even _she_ couldn't do that, no one could.

He lay his head down next to hers and closed his eyes, falling into a light sleep, filled with dreams of the amazing girl sleeping next to him. The girl he couldn't deny he was falling in love with.


	21. What Was That?

Chapter 21: What Was That...?

Draco's eyes fluttered open, finding a mess of brown tresses sprawled out on the pillow next to him. He smiled sleepily, wrapping his arms tighter around Hermione, who was still sleeping soundly.

He knew they couldn't stay there all day- but what was a few more minutes? He closed his eyes again, sighing. He mindlessly started stroking her back.

Hermione awoke to a chill running up her spine. She looked around, her eyes coming to rest on Draco. She smiled, leaning up to kiss him softly. She was a bit surprised when he kissed back, since she thought he had been sleeping. She pulled back, looking up at him.

Draco grinned, releasing her to stretch his arms before throwing off the covers and getting out of bed.

Hermione sat up looking confused, "Where are you going, we just woke up!"

"I'll be back in a minute, lie down, I just have to use the bathroom," Draco told her.

She rolled her eyes, flopping back down and rolling onto her stomach. She knew she wasn't going to fall back asleep so she closed her eyes and lie there contentedly. She shivered, noticing how cold she had gotten without him there.

A good twenty minutes passed before Draco walked back into the room.

"Took long enough, did you go all the way back to the dungeons to find a bathroom?" Hermione commented, not moving from her current position.

She heard a rattling of silverware, followed by a creak of the bed. She opened her eyes and turned her head over to look at Draco, who was now sitting next to her on the bed. On the night stand sat a tray of food.

Hermione's eyes lit up, "Where did you get this?" she asked.

"You Gryffindors aren't the only ones who know how to get into the kitchen," he smirked.

She sat up, "You didn't make those poor house elves make this, did you?"

He cocked his head to the side, "I didn't _make_ them, that's what they're _here_ for. A simple '_Thank you'_ would have sufficed."

"Oh, _Draco_!" she groaned, "They need a break sometimes too!"

"I'm sorry, I wasn't aware that you felt so strongly about it, I just figured you might be hungry, and you might even like breakfast in bed. How _foolish_ of me to try and do something nice," Draco said, getting up from the bed.

"Draco, I-"

"No, it's fine, I'll just take it back down there and tell them you didn't _want_ it." His anger was starting to get the best of him.

"Draco, stop!" Hermione said sternly.

"Well, I'm sorry, but I thought you'd like it," Draco said coldly, looking around the room.

"I do. I just don't like the thought of those poor house elves-"

"They work here. They _like _working here. That's what house elves _do,"_ Draco said, grabbing his pants and his jacket from the night before from the couch.

"Draco, don't leave."

He stopped, looking over at her, "Why not?"

"Come over here," she told him.

He reluctantly put his things back down and walked slowly over to the bed, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, looking him in the eye, "You're right, I _am_ hungry. It was a much appreciated gesture to bring me breakfast."

Draco hadn't moved from his stance, the only difference was that one of his eyebrows was cocked.

"I'm serious, I _do_ like it; I just get worked up sometimes. I have very strong opinions. But you're right, the house elves like it here, and besides, it was just one breakfast," she said, uncrossing his arms for him. She sat up on her knees and placed a light kiss on his lips, trying to relax him.

His expression stayed empty, his eyes closed off. That look scared her; made her uneasy.

"Draco," she said softly, hesitation in her voice.

He let his eyes wander slowly back to hers. He did _not_ appreciate her reaction to what was supposed to be a 'good morning surprise' for her. He knew he was letting his anger get the best of him, but that's how he was brought up.

"Draco, please..." Hermione looked at him with concern.

His eyes did not stray from hers. They were challenging, daring her to keep going.

"You don't scare me, Draco Malfoy," Hermione said, standing up, getting fed up with how he was handling the situation. She didn't like being treated this way. He should have known that she was very opinionated, and she had already apologized, that should be enough.

As she started to walk away from him, he grabbed her by the wrist. She turned around, her glare as cold as his.

"I've already apologized, Draco. It's completely ridiculous to fight about something like this in the first place, but even worse for _me_ to try to hold a conversation with someone who won't say a word."

Draco opened his mouth to say something, but thinking twice, slowly closed it again.

"If you don't have anything to say, then please, let go of me so I can leave," Hermione said calmly.

Draco looked down, noticing that he still had a grip on her wrist. He let it go, sitting down on the edge of the bed and putting his head in his hands and letting out an exasperated sigh.

Hermione hadn't moved, but was eying him closely. It looked as if he'd calmed down a little, which made her feel a little better. She could put on her cool and collected act, but inside, she had been scared when he shut himself off.

Something about it unnerved her. She knew that blocking people out was probably his way of dealing with things, something he had, undoubtedly, picked up from his father, but it wasn't safe, for either of them. Shutting out other people, especially herself, and closing off his emotions would only build his anger more.

"I thought you were going to leave," she heard Draco say tiredly.

"I thought you weren't going to talk," she replied.

He looked up at her, then down at her wrist; it was a little red from his grip, "I'm sorry," he said finally, "I didn't mean to do that," he said, motioning towards her wrist.

She looked down, she hadn't noticed before, "It'll be okay," she said.

"I just wanted to do something nice for you," he told her.

"I know, Draco. I'm sorry I overreacted about the House Elves thing," Hermione sat down next to him, examining him. His eyes still looked guarded, but his expression was calmer.

"Don't look at me like that," he said, feeling her gaze.

"I'm sorry, I just-"

"I don't like being analyzed."

"I wasn't trying to, I just don't like it when you're closed off," she said, turning his head towards her.

Their eyes locked. He knew what she meant by being 'closed off,' it was a trick he'd learned from his father. It let him conceal his emotions. He wasn't someone who walked around with his heart on his sleeve.

He looked away again, feeling guilty. She was so open about everything, and she really _cared_, which was something he hardly knew anything about.

"I don't try to, you know," he said, "But it's hard not to."

Hermione sat back further on the bed, not wanting to say anything that would cause him to stop.

"Emotions aren't something that come easy to me. Living with Lucius for sixteen years has its way of doing that to a person. I learned early how to hide them; they were a liability to me. Emotion was just another thing he used against me. I don't mean to close you off, Hermione. I wish I could be more like you; open, caring, understanding… but the fact is that I'm _not._ I can try all I want, but I'm still the same person I've been all my life," he said, finally turning to look at her.

"You don't have to be," she said quietly.

He let out a dry laugh, "I don't have a choice."

"You always have choices, Draco. It's not just one road you have to follow, you can take a different one, hell, you can make your own road, right through the forest if you want to," Hermione said.

"I know you want to help, Hermione, but this is something that you don't understand. Something you're lucky to not understand."

"I'm not the one making your decisions, but from what I know about you, I know you have the ability to make the right ones. You can be open, caring, _and_ understanding, I know you can, I've seen it."

Hermione took his hand and pulled him towards her. They both lie back on the bed. Draco draped an arm across her.

"You're a real optimist, you know," he told her, kissing her lightly.

"I have to be, otherwise I'd have checked myself into St. Mungo's years ago just for being friends with Harry and Ron," she said, rolling her eyes.

Draco kissed her again, glad for the lightened mood. She kissed back hard, her hand wrapping around his neck. He let his hands travel down her side, gliding easily over the silk night dress she was still wearing.

He moved his mouth down to her neck, kissing her softly again, his lips hardly grazing her skin. Hermione sighed contentedly, her other hand running lightly down his arm, sending chills up his spine.

He moved his mouth further down to her collar bone. Kissing it fully and nibbling on her skin every now and then. She moaned, pushing him onto his back, leaning down and kissing him hard on the lips. Feeling him run his tongue across her mouth, she opened it to him.

Their tongues fought hungrily, Hermione still pinning him down. After a few minutes of passionate kissing, Hermione pulled back, out of breath. She looked down at him and smiled, "I love being here with you," she said quietly.

"I love y-" Draco started to say before he processed the words in his head. His eyes widened, and he jumped out of the bed, grabbing his things off the couch, "Sorry, I have to go," he mumbled quickly, pulling his pants on, not bothering to zipper or button them.

"Draco, wait-" Hermione was saying, too stunned by his actions to really do anything about it.

"I'm sorry, I'll see you later," he said, opening the door and leaving in a rush.

Hermione sank back down onto the bed._ What just happened?_ _Was he honestly about to say what I think he was about to say!_ She thought frantically to herself. _Why did that scare him so much?_ She wondered. She thought it probably had something to do with the fact that he wasn't used to that emotion yet, so she decided she'd give him his time to think about everything and wait until he came to her.

_Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!_ Draco's mind screamed at him. He hadn't even gotten the whole phrase out! He was about to though. It was right there, on the tip of his tongue. _Simply caught up in the moment, that's all_, he told himself. _You didn't mean it; you were just caught up in the moment._

He reached his room, realizing that he hadn't even noticed where he'd been going; his feet had seemed to lead the way. He walked in, Blaise was sitting on his bed doing the Herbology homework and Crabbe and Goyle were sitting on Crabbe's bed eating fudge.

Draco looked over at the two oafs, "You two, get out."

They looked up at him, confused.

"Get out!" he said again, louder and to someone who really knew him, like Blaise, hysterics could be detected in his voice.

Blaise looked up, moving his gaze from Draco to Crabbe and Goyle, "You two should probably go find something else to do," he warned.

Crabbe and Goyle looked at each other before getting up quickly and leaving.

"What's going on?" Blaise asked, closing his book.

"I almost said it," Draco said, wringing his hands nervously, an action that was not seen often from Draco Malfoy.

"Almost said what, Drake?" Blaise prompted.

Draco started pacing, not quite sure what to do with himself, finally, he resorted to sitting on the edge of the bed, hands closed tightly around the comforter underneath him, "I almost said-" he couldn't even bring himself to say it now.

"Draco, I really don't have all day, spit it out!" Blaise told him bluntly.

"IalmosttoldherIlovedher!" Draco said loudly and quickly.

"One more time," Blaise sighed, "A little slower, maybe."

"I... almost... told her... I... _loved_... her," Draco said in a calmer voice.

But Blaise knew Draco, there was no calm voice when he was like this, calm was dangerous.

Draco was surprised to see that Blaise didn't seem very fazed by this, when he himself couldn't believe it.

"How close did you get to telling her?" Blaise asked.

"Well the only part I left out was 'you'."

"Do you?" Blaise asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Do I what?" Draco replied.

"Love her," he stated bluntly.

"I- I don't know." Draco fell silent, laying back on his bed and looking up at the canopy overhead.

"Hmm..." was Blaise's response.

After giving Draco a few minutes, Blaise started in again, "So how long are you going to _not_ talk to her about this?"

Draco sat back up, "I haven't thought about any of that yet. I'm still trying to figure out what's going on. You don't seem too concerned about it though," he glared at his friend.

"Drake, it's not that I'm not _concerned_, it's more that I'm not really that _surprised_."

"What do you mean?" Draco asked.

"Well, I see the way you look at her, the way you look at _other_ guys that look at her, the way you talk about her. I see what most people don't, Drake, that's what best friends _do_. I see what's going on, on the _inside_," he smirked.

"You don't know half the shit-"

"Don't start that with me, I know more than half the shit. And I always figure it out before you even realize it."

"Oh really?" Draco challenged.

"I could tell when you started having feelings for her, when you kept denying it. I could tell when you started falling in love with her. I even _told_ you that you were. You never listen to me though."

"Even _if_ I was, I could never tell her that, I shouldn't even be thinking it. It only complicates things."

"You can't help who you love, Drake."

Draco rubbed his face in his hands, "I have detention with Potter and Weasley tonight," he said, changing the subject.

"That should be fun," Blaise replied, taking the hint that the conversation was over and reopening his Herbology book.

Draco stood up, "I'm going for a walk."

"See you later," Blaise said.

"Right," Draco answered distractedly.

"If you love her, tell her," Blaise said knowingly, not looking up from his work.

Draco let out a deep breath, opening up the door and leaving.

_He never listens to me_, Blaise thought, shaking his head.

Hermione had eventually made it back to the common room, receiving a few strange looks and raised eyebrows as she walked in wearing the same thing she wore to the ball.

She spotted Harry and Ron in the corner playing Wizards Chess. With more black pieces than double the amount of white pieces still on the board, Hermione figured that Ron was black. She plopped herself down in a soft chair next to their table.

She still wasn't sure what to think about the situation. Did she love _him_? She loved _being_ with him. She loved the way he made her feel. She loved how unlike anyone else she knew he was. She loved all the little things he did. Maybe saying all those things were just her way of skirting around the fact that she really loved _him_; Plain and simple.

"Just get in?" Harry inquired, glancing up at her from their game.

"Mmhmm..." she replied.

It was that feeling like being with him was one of the most important things in the world to her. Like without him things wouldn't seem quite right. Like when she was around him, millions of butterflies invaded her stomach. No other guy had ever made her feel this way. Like no matter what happened, she wouldn't leave his side, _couldn't_ leave his side.

"'Mione...?" Ron said.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts, "Hmm?"

"You alright?" Harry asked.

"I- We were- Then he- I don't even know if _I_- Well, I guess maybe I just haven't thought about it," she replied, finally turning to face them.

They both looked back at her with completely blank expressions. They looked at each other, eyes wide with confusion, an unspoken, _Girls are impossible_, said between them.

"Let's start with the beginning," Harry suggested.

"Right, well we had a little fight, then we were... well nevermind, but he almost said something I'm not sure he was ready to say. Then he left. But I don't know what I'm supposed to do. I don't even know how _I_ feel," she said.

"Well, with that explanation, I don't see how I _couldn't_ have a great solution," Ron said sarcastically.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "He almost said 'I love you'."

"Oh," Harry said.

"Well that clears things up," Ron added.

"So he didn't say it?" Harry asked.

"No, see I told him I loved being with him and he said 'I love y...' and then he stopped, jumped up and rushed out of the room!"

"Hmm..." Ron commented, "He's scared."

"I bet he's never even admitted it to himself," Harry said.

"But what am I supposed to do?" Hermione asked.

"You wait," Ron answered, "You let him figure things out for himself and wait until he's ready to talk about it."

Hermione sighed, "Well I'm going upstairs for a while, catch up on some sleep. Could you send Ginny up around lunch time to get me?"

"Sure," Harry told her.

As she walked up the stairs towards her room, Harry turned to Ron, they shared another one of their knowing looks, this time it was something like, _What has she gotten herself into_.

Draco had been walking around the castle for about an hour, thinking. He knew he loved a lot of things about her. He may have even been swaying towards the thought of being in love with her, but to have put it out there so blatantly was just so... unlike him.

Draco didn't like being vulnerable. This was just supposed to be a task, nothing more. But everything seemed to be out of his control. He knew what he had to do. Everything was so fucked up already, what was one more thing?

He headed up towards Gryffindor tower, catching the portrait hole as Parvati and Lavender were coming out of it. He went in, trying to accustom himself to the red and gold colored common room.

Spotting Harry and Ron, he walked over to them.

"Have you seen Hermione?" he asked.

Harry looked up, surprised to see Draco in their common room, while Ron was still concentrating hard on his next move, not even noticing what was going on, "Uhh... she came in a little while ago, she's upstairs though," Harry told him.

"Oh, thanks," Draco said, turning around. He scanned the room, eyes resting on the opening portrait hole which Ginny Weasley was coming out of.

He walked over to her. She jumped a little as she realized how odd it was that Draco Malfoy was in the Gryffindor common room.

"Hi Malfoy," she said, confused.

"Hello," he replied, "Could you do me a favor and go get Hermione for me, she's in her room."

"Um, sure," she said, walking past him, looking at Harry and Ron for some sort of sign, they both shrugged at her as she walked upstairs.

A few minutes later she returned with Hermione behind her. Hermione's eyes had been on Draco since she started walking down the stairs. As she approached him, she noticed her heart rate quicken.

"Draco," she said.

"Hermione, could I talk to you, maybe in the hall?" He asked, noticing how quiet everyone had gotten.

"Sure," she said, walking towards the portrait hole and climbing out, Draco in toe.

"See you tonight," he said to Harry and Ron as he closed the portrait behind him.

The Fat Lady shook her head at him, "You're not supposed to be in here!"

"It's okay, he's with me," Hermione told her, taking his arm and pulling him away from the prying eyes of the other paintings.

The Fat Lady looked after them with a disapproving look until they turned the corner.

Once in a secluded hallway, he stopped her.

"Here is fine," he said.

Hermione turned around to face him, looking into his eyes, waiting for him to speak.

Draco composed himself, going over in his head what he would say to her. Finally he took a deep breath.


	22. Detention

Chapter 22: Detention

_Once in a secluded hallway, he stopped her._

"_Here is fine," he said._

_Hermione turned to face him, looking into his eyes, waiting for him to speak._

_Draco composed himself, going over in his head what he would say to her. Finally, he took a deep breath._

"First, I'm sorry for running out on you this morning," he said.

Hermione nodded her head, waiting for him to continue.

"I didn't really mean to say that, right then," he explained, "I mean, maybe eventually I might have considered it, but it's not just one of those things I say to everyone, or really anyone." he was starting to ramble.

"It's fine, I understand, you were just caught up in the moment, we can just forget about it, really," Hermione said.

"You didn't let me finish," he told her, holding up a finger, "You see, Hermione, you're _not_ just 'anyone'. I know we haven't really been together that long, and I'm sure you still feel like you hardly know me. But what I'm trying to say is that, when I'm with you," he faltered, he'd never really had to do this before.

"When I'm with you, it's like I can forget about all the other shit. You're something I have that keeps me sane," he let out a dry laugh, "Hermione, what I'm trying to say is that maybe I wasn't sure if I was ready to say it or not, I mean, I never have before, but I thought about it for a while, and I've came to a reasonable conclusion."

He stopped again, putting his hands on either side of her face, "Hermione, I'm in love with you."

Hermione smiled, her eyes not straying from his, "You're sure this time?"

"Yeah, pretty sure," he grinned.

"Good, because I'm pretty sure I'm in love with you too," she said, leaning up to kiss him soundly.

When they broke the kiss, he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I know you are."

With that, he took her hand and turned around to lead her down the hall.

"You are _so_ full of yourself Draco Malfoy!" she laughed.

"Like I said before, I'm still the same person I've always been," he said playfully, moving his arm around her waist to pull her closer to him and kissing the top of her head.

She gave an exasperated sigh, "So where are we headed?"

"I thought we'd take a stroll outside, we could use some fresh air," he said as they reached the Entrance Hall.

"I'm going to go grab my cloak, then," Hermione said, pulling herself away from him.

"Alright, I guess I might want one too, I'll meet you back here in a minute."

With that, they both headed to their rooms.

When Draco reached his room, Blaise was sitting on the edge of his bed, staring at something on Draco's bed.

"It's been here for about ten minutes," Blaise said, not moving his eyes.

Draco walked over to his bed to find a letter sitting there, the Malfoy emblem adorning the envelope.

Draco sat down, opening it up, it read:

_Draco-_

_Seeing as last night was Halloween, I expect that you have completed the first part of your task. I will ask you to meet with me tonight at midnight. We shall meet at the same place as usual. I hope that you have made some improvement on the second part of your task. We will discuss this later, of course. _

_Send an owl back with an affirmation of your attendance later._

_Lucius Malfoy_

Draco took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"What's it say?" Blaise asked.

"I'm meeting with him tonight," Draco answered.

"Have you talked to Granger?"

"Yes."

"What'd you say?"

"I told her I was in love with her," Draco said, leaning back on his bed.

"Good," Blaise smiled, "I'm proud of you."

"It's going to kill me in the end, Blaise," Draco shook his head.

"Maybe it won't, Drake," Blaise said, getting up.

"Where are you going?"

"It's lunch time, I'm going to eat."

With that, Blaise pulled the door open and left. Draco closed his eyes in thought, how could Blaise believe that this wouldn't kill him? Nothing good could come from it. It was a _now_ thing, that's all it could ever be.

He sat up, grabbing a piece of parchment from his desk and wrote a letter back to his father. He looked at the time, he'd been gone for nearly twenty minutes, she was surely already waiting for him, but he had to get this letter out.

He rolled up the parchment, grabbing his cloak and walking briskly out the door, taking the long route to the owlery, to avoid the Entrance Hall.

Hermione had returned to the Entrance Hall expecting Draco to already be there. Finding it empty, she sat down on a bench to wait for him. It was nearly a half an hour since she'd been waiting for him that she finally saw him walking towards her. Oddly, he wasn't coming from the direction of the Slytherin dorms.

She stood up, walking over to him, "Where have you been?"

"Sorry, I went as quickly as I could, I forgot I had to get a letter out to my Aunt for her birthday," Draco lied, taking her hand and leading her outside, "Where would you like to go?" he asked, changing the subject.

"Oh I don't know, anywhere really, I suppose," she said skeptically, but deciding not to push the topic if he didn't want to talk about it.

He led her down to the lake. They found a fresh patch of grass and lay down next to each other.

They spent a while talking about their classes, the amount of work they were being assigned was ridiculous, but Hermione insisted that it was for their own good, to which Draco rolled his eyes.

"I can't wait until the holidays," Hermione said.

Draco shifted uncomfortably, not saying anything.

"It's always so nice to have the castle so empty, like we have it all to ourselves. Harry, Ron and I are all staying over the break."

"Really," Draco commented.

"Are you going to be staying?" Hermione asked him.

"I believe I am," he said, "For a while anyways."

"Good," she smiled, kissing him, "You can spend time with us!"

"Spectacular," he said with a crooked smile.

There was nothing reassuring about the holiday break for Draco, for that was when the final part of his task would take place, he had a feeling that it wouldn't be very fun or relaxing.

They lay there all afternoon talking, and eventually dozing off for a little while.

Around six, Draco opened up his eyes and looked around. He was lying on his stomach with one arm draped over Hermione, while his head rested on the other arm. Hermione was lying on her side facing him, lips slightly parted, obviously still asleep.

Draco kissed her forehead. She started, opening her eyes. When she saw Draco, she smiled, "I could get used to waking up to you more often," she said sleepily.

Draco smirked, "Most girls would die to have that perk."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You have a way of ruining every mood," she laughed.

"We had better get back up to the castle," Draco said, running his thumb across her cheek sweetly.

"Already?" she whined.

"Well I've got detention with your two body guards at eight," Draco chuckled.

"What?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Potter, Weasley and I have detention at eight, didn't they tell you?" Draco said.

"I guess I haven't really had much time to talk to them lately, what happened?" Hermione said.

"Ah, you can ask them that one, come on," Draco said, getting up and holding out his hands for her.

She took them and stood up, brushing the grass off of her clothes and grabbing Draco's hand to walk back up to the castle.

Harry and Ron were doing their Transfiguration essays when Hermione climbed through the portrait hole.

Ron looked up and waved to her, smiling.

"Don't you look so innocent," Hermione said sternly, "What's this I hear about you two getting detention tonight?"

Harry looked up, smiling sheepishly, "We meant to tell you about that."

"Well I have time, do tell," she said, sitting down.

"Maybe somewhere a bit more- eh- private?" Ron suggested.

She nodded. They all stood up and headed up to the boys dormitories.

Once they were safely inside Harry and Ron's room with the door shut, Hermione turned to look at both of them, "Now what did you do?"

"Well you see, we got this letter..." Harry went on to tell her the story from beginning to end while she listened patiently. When he finally finished, Hermione looked back and forth between the two boys.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me!" she exclaimed, "Of _course_ it wasn't real!"

"What if it was?" Ron countered, "We couldn't risk losing that!"

"If you were us, you would have done that same thing, Hermione," Harry pointed out.

"Maybe if anyone had _told_ me!" she shot back.

"We just didn't want to put you in danger, you know, in case it wasn't real," Harry told her.

"Which it's a bloody good thing we didn't tell you, you'd be in detention right next to us!" Ron said.

"I just can't believe you didn't even tell me what was going on, even if you didn't want me to _come_, some idea would have been nice!"

Hermione and Ron were now glaring daggers at each other.

_Feels like old times again_, Harry thought warily.

"Would both of you please calm down," Harry said, "Hermione, we're sorry we didn't tell you, we just didn't think it was a good idea at the time. Next time we head off into something that could potentially get us hurt or expelled, we'll be sure to let you in on it."

He turned to Ron, "And Ron, we probably should have told her. But we really have to get going if we don't want to be late to detention."

Harry looked back at Hermione pleadingly.

Hermione huffed, "Fine, I'm sorry for getting mad, but I have been with you two for everything, it just hurts that you didn't even tell me about this."

Harry and Ron looked at each other, _Another one of those sentimental girl moments_, they thought.

"Come here," they both said, looking back at her with their arms out.

She walked up and wrapped her arms around her two best friends, "Next time you'll tell me, right?"

"Of course we will, 'Mione," Harry said.

Ron rolled his eyes, luckily Hermione was a good ways shorter than he was, so she didn't catch it, "We should have told you this time," he said.

She pulled back a moment later, "You should probably leave, the last thing you two need is another detention," she said in her usual motherly voice.

"Yes, Hermione," the boys answered together, pulling the door open and heading back towards the common room to grab their cloaks.

"Ah, Potter, Weasley," Draco greeted them as they walked into the potions room.

"Good evening Malfoy," Harry grinned.

"Where's Snape?" Ron asked, looking around.

"Quiet, all three of you!" Snape sneered, coming out of his office.

Ron jumped and turned around to face him.

"Sit down," Snape directed, looking down his crooked nose at the three of them.

Harry and Ron took the two seats next to Draco, glaring at Snape as they did.

"Potter, Weasley, I want two feet on why you should not go wandering around _out of bounds_ after dark. Be sure to mention specific magical creatures you may have come across and why they would be dangerous."

Snape turned his gaze towards Draco, "And Mr. Malfoy, a foot on why it is not safe to play jokes on those less intelligent than yourself. You will all have two hours, I will be back, I'm sure Mr. Malfoy can look after things for me while I'm gone."

With that, Snape walked out the door, slamming it behind him.

"Well this sounds like jolly fun," Ron groaned, taking out a piece of parchment.

"I like how you only get a foot, Malfoy," Harry rolled his eyes.

Draco smirked, "You're lucky I saved your arses, or else a two foot essay would be the least of your worries."

Harry and Ron both let out dry laughs, "I guess you're right," Harry said.

The boys worked on their essays for a good half an hour before taking a break.

"Harry, what have you got?" Ron asked, putting his quill down.

"Something about Centaurs," Harry said, setting his quill down as well, stretching his arms over his head.

"I'm done," Draco smiled cockily.

Harry and Ron both glared at him.

"Why don't you mention something about the Acromantula, those are pretty dangerous," Draco suggested.

"What are those?" Harry asked.

"Remember those spiders we met in our second year, Harry?" Ron said, his voice breaking slightly.

Harry nodded.

"_Those_ are Acromantula," Ron said, shuddering at the memory.

"Ah, yes, Aragog," Harry shook his head, also thinking about their encounter with the abnormally large spider and his large family.

"So, Malfoy, what'd you say in your essay?" Harry asked.

Draco smirked, "That it's a bad idea to play jokes on the less intelligent because they don't understand it's just a joke."

"Hey!" Ron said, "We thought it probably was, we just-"

"Calm down, Weasley, I know, but it's what Snape wants to see, so that's what I wrote," Draco said.

"So what was up with Hermione today?" Harry asked Draco, changing the subject.

"Well it's a funny story, really," Draco grinned.

"What'd you do?" Ron asked.

"I told her I was in love with her," Draco said simply.

Harry and Ron looked at each other, then back at Draco.

"It's about time you told her that," Ron said.

"I figured you had ages ago," Harry added.

Draco faltered, "You mean, you- you knew that I did?"

"Oh come on, Malfoy, how could we _not_ know! It's the way you _look_ at her, the way you _talk_ to her..." Harry was saying.

"You came out in the middle of the night to rescue her _friends_ when you knew you'd probably get in trouble too. You wouldn't have done that unless you were in love with her," Ron added.

Draco sighed, "I don't get how everyone else knew, but I didn't until recently."

"Maybe it's not that you _didn't_ know, maybe it's that you didn't _want_ to know," Harry told him.

"Alright, alright, you're probably right," Draco admitted.

"You know, Malfoy, as much as I hate to say it, I'm really glad you two got together," Ron said seriously, "She's really happy with you."

The inward flinch and the pang of guilt Draco had become so accustomed to had returned. He simply nodded, not knowing what to say.

"But it's odd, not having anyone to despise- well besides Snape of course," Harry grinned.

"I knew you'd miss it one day," Draco gave them a crooked smile, still not quite recovered from his guilt yet.

"We'd better finish our essays before Snape gets back," Ron said, cracking his knuckles and picking up his quill.

For the next hour or so, Harry and Ron worked on their essays, finally finishing them with about fifteen minutes to go.

"So what're the chances that we can just leave since we're done?" Ron yawned.

"Not good," Harry answered, putting his quill back into his bag and leaning back in his chair.

"I can't wait for the holidays," Ron commented, closing his eyes to relax and throwing his feet up onto the desk.

"Me neither, the break from schoolwork will be _greatly_ appreciated!" Harry agreed.

"Are you staying here, Malfoy?" Ron asked.

"I think so," he answered, staring straight ahead.

"Aren't you lucky, you'll get to spend time with us!" Harry grinned broadly.

Draco looked over, he couldn't help but grin too, "Oh wonderful," he said sarcastically.

Harry punched him lightly, "You know you'll have fun."

Draco shook his head laughing, "I'll probably get hexed if I walk into the Gryffindor common room again, though."

They all laughed, "I'd love to see that!" Ron said.

The door opened and in walked Snape. The three boys stopped laughing, Ron quickly pulling his feet off the desk. Harry and Ron glared at Snape as he approached them, Draco simply looked at him, feigning interest.

Snape crossed to their desk, picking up the finished essays, "You can go," he said, turning around and heading towards his office.

They stood up, exiting the room silently.

"I just love the mood he sets when he walks into a room," Harry said darkly.

"He's really not that bad if you-" Draco started to say.

"If you're in Slytherin," Ron finished for him.

Draco rolled his eyes, but let out a laugh, "Pretty much."

Harry and Ron said goodnight to Draco as they reached the stairs heading out of the dungeons and Draco headed towards his own common room.

"Ya know, Harry, I really think he's changed," Ron said slowly.

"As odd as it is to say, I think I agree with you Ron," Harry said as they headed through the portrait hole to Gryffindor Tower.

Draco plopped down on his bed, sighing.

"So how'd it go?" Blaise asked.

"It was fine, but they have a way of making me feel incredibly guilty," Draco said, staring up at the emerald green canopy over his bed.

"Were they civil? I thought you were getting along," Blaise said.

"No, no, they were civil, they were talking about the holidays and how I'm going to get to spend time with them, and how happy I make Hermione. Everything's going to happen over the holidays, Blaise, how am I _not_ supposed to feel guilty?" Draco said.

"Ah," he said thoughtfully, "You've gotten yourself into quite a position."

"I knew this would happen," Draco said quietly, "I let myself fall into this, _knowing_ what was coming."

"Draco," Blaise said, throwing his legs over the side of his bed, "Sometimes you don't know what's coming. I'm not saying everything could change relating to _His_ plan, but you don't know how this is going to end yet. Just be happy for now, worry about later... _later_."

"Such an inspirational speech, Blaise," Draco said dryly.

"You never listen to me, Drake," Blaise said, getting up.

"Where are you going?" Draco asked.

"I'm meeting with that girl from Ravenclaw I'm partners with in Herbology," Blaise told him.

"Homework?" Draco raised an eyebrow.

"If that's what you want to call it," he smirked, "You should probably head down to meet with your father now anyways. I'll see you later."

After Blaise left the room, Draco let out a long breath. He swung his legs over his own bed and grabbed his cloak. Shutting his door behind him, he quietly made his way down to the Forbidden Forest to meet with his father.


	23. Another Task?

Chapter 23: Another task?

Draco reached the clearing and perched himself onto a nearby rock. He looked around, expecting to see his father waiting for him. Finally, his eyes rested on a tree a few feet away where his father was leaning.

"Good evening, Draco," Lucius said smoothly.

"Good evening, father," Draco replied.

"I trust you've completed the first part of your task?" Lucius raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Yes, father."

"Good," Lucius said, pushing himself off the tree to walk forward, "You're next task is Potter and Weasley, as you know. How are you doing with that?"

"I am doing well, father. I believe they trust me," Draco said evenly.

"Good. I thought I should inform you about something that will be happening tomorrow night."

Draco stood up, listening intently to his father.

"There is a planned attack on the school tomorrow night. Do not ask how they will be getting in, it has already been decided. All you have to worry about is your part. This entire attack is a measly ploy, to get people riled up and such.

"The reason is for long term circumstances. There will be four Death Eaters penetrating the wards. They will arrive during dinner; have your wand at the ready. They will aim for specific people, Mr. Potter, Mr. Weasley, Ms. Granger and... _You_," Lucius told him.

Draco looked confusedly at his father, trying to find the motive behind the upcoming attack.

"Nothing will happen to any of you, Draco. Once you see them come in, go over to the '_Golden Trio'_-" Lucius said the name with malice, "and look concerned for them, the Death Eaters will come to you and attempt to take you all. Be a hero Draco, act like Potter for a while, all you have to do is 'save the day,' which shouldn't be too hard since that _is_ what we're going for."

"How is this going to help the progress with my task?" Draco asked.

"Trust, Draco, is much different than _dependence_. What we want from Potter, Weasley and Granger, is for them to _depend_ on you," Lucius grinned darkly, "Trust can waver, dependence runs deeper."

Lucius went on to give him further directions for the next night. After an hour or so of questions such as, '_But what about Dumbledore' _or '_Do you really expect Potter to not try to be the hero' _and '_What's going to happen to the Death Eaters_,' all of the details we set. Draco was finally heading back up to the castle, if possible, more miserable than on his way down.

Draco flopped down onto his silk bed sheets, staring unblinkingly up at the canopy. Everyone else was already asleep, but Draco swore he heard giggling coming from Blaise's bed, which had the hangings drawn.

Draco rolled over, fluffing his pillow a bit harder than necessary. Everything seemed to be getting more and more complicated.

The sun streamed into the dormitories of Gryffindor Tower the next morning giving people the false sense of a warm, relaxing day. Hermione Granger woke up earlier than most, rolling over and stretching her arms above her head. She kicked her feet over the edge and sat up.

Yawning, she hopped out of bed and headed for the showers. Letting the warm water cascade over her body she couldn't help but feel completely at peace. She was in _love_ and there was no better feeling in the world. She felt as if nothing could bring her back down off this cloud.

Hermione turned off the water, drying off and heading back to her room to get ready for the day.

Harry sat bolt upright, awaking suddenly from a frightening dream. As he caught his breath, flashes of the dream were flooding through his brain.

_Somewhere very familiar... hundreds of people- people he knew- running everywhere... screams filling the air... the light from a wand having just cast a spell... the feeling of helplessness... a flash of platinum blonde... pitch black... and it was all over._

The details and specifics were escaping him; all he could remember were small snippets of this dream that had set his heart into overdrive.

Harry shook his head and looked around, feeling several pairs of eyes on him. He grabbed his glasses off the night stand and put them on. Neville, Ron and Seamus came into focus, all standing by their beds getting dressed, yet they were all looking at him worriedly.

"Fine..." Harry muttered half-heartedly, "I'm fine."

He looked out the window at the bright sunlight hanging overhead. Looking down at the grounds, he could see a few early birds already strolling through the grounds, or sitting under the big trees working on homework. Though everyone seemed to be wearing a cloak, they looked carefree and comfortable.

It looked serene, which was the farthest thing from what Harry was feeling. A sense of foreboding filled him, unnerving him.

"Harry...?"

The words brought him back to reality, back to the dormitory, back to where he still sat, rigid, on his bed, heart still in the process of slowing down.

He looked over at Ron, trying to concentrate.

"I'm fine," Harry said again, shaking his head one last time before throwing off his covers and climbing out of bed, "Just need a shower."

He grabbed his things and headed towards the bathroom, he needed to be alone to think right now. It looked like a beautiful day outside, so why did this dream have him feeling so tense?

"Good morning, Hermione."

Hermione looked up to see Ron walking towards her, parchment and quills in hand. He sat down on the couch across from her and set everything down on the table.

"Where's Harry?" Hermione inquired, looking around.

"Dunno..." Ron said, searching through his stacks of parchment looking for something specific.

"Have you seen him this morning?" She asked.

"Mmhmm..." Ron answered.

"Well did he tell you where he was going?"

"Mmhmm..."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "Ronald!"

Ron jumped, dropping some of the quills he'd picked up while in search of his essay.

"Where's Harry?"

"In the shower when I came down," he said, looking confused, "Why the yelling?"

Hermione let out an exasperated sigh, "I've ask you three time."

"Oh, why do you need him?"

"I told him to be down here an hour ago if he wanted help with his Potions essay," Hermione said, looking at the time.

"Speaking of Potions essays... I could have sworn I started mine-"

"Over on the table by the fireplace, you must have left it down here last night. Your book is there too," Hermione said, "You boys really should stop leaving all of your things around, you would lose them if other people didn't keep track of them for you."

"Right, I know," Ron replied in a _'I've heard this talk a million times'_ sort of way.

"One of these days my advice will come in handy!" Hermione called after him as he walked over to get his work.

A half an hour later, Hermione was working on her Arithmancy homework while Ron, face screwed up in concentration, flipped helplessly through his potions book.

Hermione looked up again, "He's not usually this late."

"He seemed a bit off this morning," Ron commented, his head going back and forth between the book and the parchment as he jotted down notes.

"Do you think something's wrong?" she asked.

"Might be, we should probably ask him when he comes down," Ron said, "Looked like he woke with quite a start."

Hermione nodded, forehead creased. She turned back to her homework, though her mind strayed to the possibilities of what might be wrong with Harry.

Finally, after about the tenth time she'd lifted her head to check for him, she saw him walking towards them, though something about the look on his face didn't look quite right.

"Morning, Harry," She said, closing her Arithmancy book and moving over on her couch for him to sit down.

"Morning," Harry said distractedly, taking the seat being offered to him.

Ron, too, closed his book and looked up at Harry, "What's up mate?"

"Nothing..." Harry answered.

"You didn't look too great this morning," Ron said.

"Just a bad dream, that's all, nothing to be worried about," Harry answered.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Hermione asked.

"No," Harry said firmly, "I'm not letting another dream get to me like it did _last _time."

Hermione and Ron knew he was talking about what happened to Sirius and decided to drop the subject there.

"Well if you ever want to talk about it, you know we'll listen," Hermione said quietly, "So did you bring down your potions book?"

Harry opened his bag, pulling out a thick textbook and dropping it with a loud _thud_ on the table.

Ron reopened his book, picking up where he had left off.

After letting Harry work on the essay for a while on his own, Hermione decided to see how he was doing.

"Need any help, Harry?"

"I think I'm doing alright, I just don't understand why you need four eyes of beetle. Aren't the eyes of beetle supposed to make something _smaller_? I thought this potion was supposed to _enlarge_ your muscle," Harry said, furrowing his brow.

"Well, that's true in some cases. An odd number of eyes of beetle will add a shrinking agent to the potion, but an _even_ number acts as an enlarger," Hermione said, flipping Harry's book to the exact page the information was on.

Harry read it over, nodding his head afterwards, "Well then I guess that makes sense, thanks Hermione."

They spent the afternoon working on homework; Harry and Ron taking breaks every so often to play a game of Exploding Snap or talk to some of their fellow Gryffindors.

By dinner time, Hermione had completed all of her homework assignments, including some that weren't due until the _next _week. Harry had finished all but his Transfiguration essay, and Ron was still trying to work the banishing charm (all he could get his quill to do was shake a little bit in the air and then fall back down).

They all packed up their things and decided to head down to the Great Hall for dinner.

Draco woke up the next morning with a pounding headache. Perhaps the stress of everything was just catching up to him. He couldn't even move the pain was so intense and the blinding sunlight streaming in the windows wasn't helping either.

"GAH..." Draco groaned, picking up the closest thing to him (which happened to be a shoe) and chucking it at the window.

Blaise had to duck to miss the shoe coming straight at his head, since the window was right next to his bed.

"Good morning, Drake," Blaise said with a sarcastic smile.

"Close the damn shades!" Draco told him.

Blaise reached behind him and pulled the shades down, blocking out a good amount of the light.

"What'd _you_ do last night?" Blaise asked, raising an eyebrow.

Draco turned his head towards Blaise, an arm draped over his face, one eye peaking out, "I'm not the one who had some giddy girl in my bed last night," Draco commented, "I had a meeting with my father, remember?"

"Oh right, how'd that go?" Blaise said, ignoring Draco about the girl he was with.

"Don't come to dinner tonight," was Draco's muffled response as he threw a pillow over his head to help ease his headache.

"Right, an explanation then," Blaise said, sitting back.

Draco took off the pillow, sighing. He proceeded to tell Blaise what had happened the night before, leaving out the minute details.

"So, like I said, I don't suggest you come to dinner tonight."

"I can't miss that, Drake!" Blaise exclaimed, "I'll just stay away from the fight, but I have to see it!"

Draco shook his head, "Whatever."

Draco spent most of the morning sleeping and finally woke up around mid-day. Not wanting to leave his room, he decided to do his homework, which he finished well before dinner. Needing to occupy himself with _something_, he took out his Broom Care Kit from his trunk and his Nimbus 2001, which he'd had for a couple of years now.

_It really is time for a new broom_, he thought to himself.

The next time he checked the clock, it was time. The Death Eaters were coming in half an hour. After packing away his things, he headed down to the Great Hall, sliding into his seat between Blaise and Crabbe.

"Ten minutes," he whispered to Blaise.

Draco looked across the Hall, sitting there, talking amicably with Potter, Weasley, the little Weasley girl, and Longbottom, was Hermione. Ron seemed to be telling a story because everyone seemed to be listening intently, laughing together.

How could he disrupt them when they seemed so... normal, so carefree? This wasn't how it should be. They should be able to have that feeling without it getting smashed into thousands of pieces.

Draco checked the time again, five minutes.

"...You wouldn't believe how furious mum was!" Ron chuckled, "Threw all their laundry onto the front lawn, funniest thing I've ever seen- underwear and all! Fred and George made sure to never do _that_ again, let me tell you!"

Everyone who was listening to the story was laughing around him. Hermione and Harry were clutching their sides.

These were the times they missed. The times where they could all just sit together and tell stories, laughing, not a worry in the world. These were the times that didn't seem possible anymore. Then again, it wasn't even possible this time.

Draco looked up to the Professor's table, Snape had just came in and was whispering something in Dumbledore's ear. The headmaster stood up, motioning for the Professors to follow him. Draco watched as all of them exited through the back doors. He checked the clock again, _time's up_, he thought.

Right on schedule, the doors to the Great Hall burst open.


	24. The Attack

Chapter 24: The Attack

_Right on schedule, the doors to the Great Hall burst open._

"_Colloportus_!" one of the Death Eaters shouted.

The doors to the Great Hall slammed closed loudly behind them. There were four, all dressed in long black cloaks and masks, wands out and threatening.

Everyone in the Great Hall was momentarily shocked and stunned, but before long, they were haphazardly jumping away from their tables, trying to get as far away from the Death Eaters as possible.

Screams and the sound of screeching benches filled the air. They soon found out that the doors to the Great Hall had been sealed shut. Everyone turned towards the scene in front of them, looking on in terror.

Blaise Zabini leaned up against a wall, arms and legs crossed and watched the display in front of him with interest.

"There!" the Death Eater closest to the Gryffindor table shouted.

Draco stood up, running over towards the table also.

"_Incarcerous_!" Three of the Death Eaters shouted at once, wands pointed at the Golden Trio; who were all in the process of trying to find their wands.

Strings shot out of the Death Eaters' wands, binding Hermione, Harry and Ron together.

"_Stupify!"_ Draco yelled, wand out and pointing at the closest one, who fell to the floor, stunned.

"Draco watch out!" Hermione exclaimed.

"_Incarcerous,"_ Another one said, wand pointed at Draco.

Before the spell could hit him he raised his wand again, "_Protego_!"

The spell was deflected as Draco slowed down, now standing right between the Death Eaters and his... friends.

"_Seco!"_ Another Death Eater yelled. Draco ducked, the spell missing him.

He heard a scream behind him, there was the little Weasley girl now lying on the ground, painful cuts appearing all over her. He knew how she felt, for that spell had been aimed at him at one time, coming from a much more powerful wizard then he expected these sacrificed wizards were, he'd had it aimed at him by Lucius.

All the same, Draco knew that no one was supposed to get hurt. Angered now, Draco got up and pointed his wand back at the intruders.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ Draco shouted, the wand flew out of the hands of the Death Eater that had hit Ginny, and before he could retrieve it, Draco shouted again, "_Locomotor Mortis_!" which caused the Death Eater's legs to remain stationary.

"_Serpensortia!"_ Yelled one of the two remaining armed Death Eaters.

A snake flew out of his wand at Draco, to which Draco yelled another spell, "_Impedimenta!"_

The snake slowed down momentarily, "_Evanesco!"_ he said again, and the snake vanished.

Draco turned to the last two Death Eaters, "_Furnunculus! Accio bench_!" Painful looking boils appeared on their faces while an abandoned bench came zooming towards the back of them, knocking them both over, unconscious on the floor.

Everyone was now looking at Draco, who stood there breathing heavily, wand still pointed at the four now immobile Death Eaters.

"_EXPOSITUS_!" Bellowed an angry voice from behind the doors to the Great Hall.

The doors burst open for the second time that night, and in walked Albus Dumbledore, looking furious. He surveyed the scene before him, students huddled in corners in fear, Harry, Ron and Hermione bound together next to the Gryffindor table and Draco, standing over four Death Eaters.

"If everyone would please follow their Head of Houses back to their common rooms, I would ask that each of you stay there for the remainder of the night," Dumbledore directed in a stern, but calm voice.

Soundlessly, everyone made their way out of the Hall and up to their common rooms. The only ones left were a few of the teachers, the four Death Eaters, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Draco, and Ginny who was sobbing on the ground, blood pouring off the cuts all over her.

"_Finite,"_ Dumbledore said, pointing his wand at Ginny. The cuts vanished, but as Draco knew all too well, the pain would linger.

Draco had sat down on the bench next to him, head in his hands. _No one was supposed to be hurt_.

"Miss Weasley will need to be escorted to the Hospital Wing, if you would, Professor Flitwick?" Dumbledore instructed.

"Of course, Albus," Flitwick said, walking over to Ginny, helping her shakily to her feet and helping her walk with difficulty out of the Great Hall.

"_Relashio_" Dumbledore said, wand pointed at the binds around Harry, Ron and Hermione, which broke apart, freeing them. They all sat down quietly on the bench next to Draco, each deeply affected by the state of helplessness they had just endured.

They had always been able to defend themselves, always protected others, but they had been able to do nothing then. The feeling was new and unnerving. They sat there in silence, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

Dumbledore bound the four Death Eaters together before turning back to the four students in front of him.

"Would any of you like to tell me what happened?" he asked.

"We- we were just eating dinner, and then... then the doors opened and they came in... locking the doors behind them," Harry said in a raspy voice.

"They bound Hermione, Harry and I," Ron added, "There was nothing we could do, no one could get out."

"Then... then Draco ran over to help us," Hermione said, "Took down all four of them."

Dumbledore surveyed his students over the top of his half-moon spectacles, his long bony fingers pressed together, forehead creased in thought, "What did you see, Draco?" he asked after a minute.

"I saw them come in," Draco said, his head still in his hands, "I had to do _something_."

"So you ran over to help?" Dumbledore asked.

Draco raised his head, looking quite tired, and nodded, "They looked like they were going to do something to these three-" he gestured towards Harry, Ron and Hermione, "-so I ran over to... do what I could. By that time they'd already bound them together, I knew they couldn't get out of it by themselves."

"So you risked your neck for your friends," Dumbledore finished for him.

Draco thought for a minute, "Yes," he finally said.

"I guess we owe you one," Harry said with a poor attempt at a grin.

Draco returned the gesture half-heartedly; it ended up looking more like a twitch.

"You should all head up to your dormitories, you could do with a good nights sleep," Dumbledore told them.

They all got up rather slowly and headed towards the door.

"Goodnight, Professor," Hermione said as they walked out of the Great Hall.

"Goodnight," Dumbledore replied, "Mr. Malfoy, if you would, a word please?"

Draco nodded. He was standing at the door next to Hermione.

"Do you want me to wait for you?" she asked.

"No, that's alright, go on up, I'll see you tomorrow," Draco said, pulling her towards him and kissing her softly.

"Alright," she said, turning to follow her friends, "Goodnight Draco."

"Goodnight," he answered before turning and walking back into the Great Hall, closing the door behind him.

"Hagrid, would you mind taking these Death Eaters up to my office, I'm sure they won't put up much of a struggle with the hexes I've put on them. Kindly watch over them until I return, it shouldn't be too long," Dumbledore instructed.

"O' course, sir," Hagrid said enthusiastically, hauling the four unmoving Death Eaters out of the Great Hall.

The rest of the Professors took this as their cue to leave, bidding the Headmaster goodnight.

"Mr. Malfoy, is there anything you'd like to tell me?" Dumbledore asked, taking a seat on one of the benches as the doors to the Great Hall closed again. His eyes seemed to be lacking their normal sparkle. Draco noticed that he almost even looked older than when he'd seen him earlier that night.

"No, sir," he answered clearly.

Dumbledore sighed, "You know, when I went to school here, I remember all the trouble my friends and I used to get into," he let out a small laugh, "Always used to go looking for it too. You kids though, you never seem to _have_ to go looking for it, always seems to come to you."

Dumbledore shook his head. Draco was unsure of what to do, he felt slightly awkward standing there listening to the Headmaster's story without knowing where it was going. He'd always known that Dumbledore seemed to know exactly what was going on, and that scared him.

"You see, sometimes I wish there was something I could do for you all. I wish I could protect you all, care for you all; watch out for you. But I can't. This is a fact that will always pain me to know. There's nothing I can do for you because I _don't_ know what's coming.

"Times are getting difficult, Mr. Malfoy. I see things changing all around me and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Sometimes I wish I could freeze time, go back even, to prevent things from happening, prevent choices that some people make," he looked pointedly at Draco, "But that's not something I can control."

Draco shifted awkwardly, nodding his head.

"I have hunches, Mr. Malfoy, hunches that unnerve me. Sometimes I hate to be right about these things. Of course, they are only hunches, and I am as capable as any to make mistakes. I have before and I will again. You see, I feel there are things that people know that they don't tell me, things that could potentially benefit many people.

"Although, I also understand the consequences that go along with releasing such information. Some people have harder decisions, harder choices to make. Some are unlucky enough to have choices with deep consequences no matter which way they go. It is important, of course, to do what you think is right in these situations. There is nothing others can do to make your choices for you."

Draco stood there silently, reading between the lines of what the Headmaster was saying to him. Dumbledore stood up.

"As I've said before in my life, there will always be help to those who seek it. Goodnight, Mr. Malfoy," Dumbeldore said, turning and exiting out of the back door without another glance backwards.

Draco stood there for a few minutes staring unblinkingly at the wall across from him, thinking on what Dumbledore had just said. Finally, he regained the ability to move his limbs and blinked hard a few times before turning slowly and walking back to his dorm.

"Quite a riot, that was!" Blaise said as Draco walked into the room. Crabbe and Goyle both looked as if they were attempting to read out of their textbooks.

"Get out," Draco said.

Crabbe and Goyle took one look at the expression on Draco's face and got up quickly to leave. After the door had shut, Draco walked over and sat on the edge of his bed.

"What happened after we all left?" Blaise asked.

"Not in a talking mood, Blaise," Draco answered.

"You're going to tell me later anyways," Blaise said.

"Not now."

"Oh, come on-"

"Let me think first," Draco snapped, "Just let _me_ figure out what the hell is going on," he said more quietly to himself.

Blaise sat back on his bed, closing his eyes, "Tell me when you're ready then."

Draco lay back on his bed, thoughts flooding his brain.

_He knows, he knows, he knows!_ His mind screamed at him. But what was he supposed to do? What did _Dumbledore_ expect him to do? He couldn't simply go up there and tell the Headmaster everything that he had been dealing with for the past few months.

But could he really go through with all of this? Could he live with himself for feeding his new friends to the Dark Lord? He didn't _want_ to be a Death Eater. That didn't necessarily mean he wanted to fight with Harry Potter, though. He just wanted to be left out of it, not take sides.

But he was a Malfoy. Malfoys were not indecisive people. They knew what they wanted and they did not waver in loyalty. His life had already been chosen for him, there was nothing he could do about it.

As much as he knew Dumbledore was just trying to help, this was not something he could help with. He couldn't keep Draco from his fate, no one could. It was something he had grown up knowing, something he had accepted long ago. Granted, actually being at this stage was harder than he had ever expected.

Draco rolled over onto his stomach, head resting on his arms, "He knows."

Blaise's eyes remained shut, "How much?"

"I don't know."

"What did he say?"

"A lot, mostly that there was nothing he could do if he didn't know what was going on and that people make their own choices and that he hoped they were the right ones. He obviously knows something's going on," Draco told him.

"What are you going to do?" Blaise asked, his eyes opening slowly to stare at the ceiling.

"Nothing," Draco said, "Nothing I _can_ do."

"You're not going to tell him?"

"Can't. Wouldn't do any good," Draco shook his head, "There's nothing he can do to help me."

"You're never going to be able to do this alone, Drake," Blaise said.

"I have to do this alone. I have to get through this by myself. It's going to happen whether I like it or not, so I may as well do what I have to do."

"Don't you get it?" Blaise said in an exasperated voice, "You'll never be able to go through with this. You're in _love_ with one of these people and the other two are your _friends_!"

"It doesn't matter, it'll happen with or without me," Draco said in a defeated tone.

"That's the problem Drake, you only see it from one side. You'll never realize it, but that's not the only option."

"It's not worth it, Blaise, it's over for me. Dumbledore may have an idea what's going on, but I can't tell him, I _won't _tell him because it won't help. The only thing I can do is not mess up from here on out," Draco told him.

Blaise let out an aggravated sigh, "Well there's definitely nothing you can do to help yourself with that mind-set."

Draco turned onto his side, facing away from Blaise, "Goodnight."

"Whatever, goodnight."

_Never listens to me!_ Blaise thought, _One of these days, he'll see how right I always am!_

Hermione, Harry and Ron made their way to their secluded corner in the Gryffindor common room when they arrived back.

"So what do you think?" Harry asked, looking at the other two.

"Something wasn't right about that," Hermione said.

"It was too easy," Ron agreed.

"I thought so too," Harry nodded, "Four Death Eaters show up and don't seem to put up much of a fight."

"Odd, I agree. I still think it's a good thing Draco had half a mind to give us a hand though," Ron said with a sideways smile.

"True, without him, I have a feeling we would have been in a bit more trouble," Harry said.

"It's good to know he's really there to help," Hermione said with a genuine smile.

"I think he'd do anything for you, 'Mione, even fight off four Death Eaters," Harry laughed.

"Either way, something was definitely up tonight, why would they come here?" Ron said.

"I don't know," Harry said distractedly, thinking about his dream from the night before. _That was it_, he thought, _that was the dream_.

He had a mental battle on whether or not to mention this to Hermione and Ron. He knew that if he did, he would have to tell them about the other dream, and he'd rather not seem paranoid again. He decided to keep it to himself for the time being. Besides, the other dream hadn't remotely come true yet, maybe it was just a coincidence.

"I think bed would be a good idea," Hermione said.

"I agree," Ron said with a yawn.

Harry nodded absently, getting up and following Ron, saying goodnight to Hermione at the stairs up to their dormitories and heading up to bed.

Harry lay in bed a long time that night thinking before he finally drifted off into an uneasy sleep.


	25. The Day After

Chapter 25: The Day After

Walking downstairs, Hermione noticed that a lot more people seemed to be up early that morning. Not only that, but they were standing in groups talking in hushed, excited voices.

She walked over to Neville who was standing with Seamus, Dean and Parvati.

"Hey, what's going on?" she greeted them.

"Oh, hi Hermione," Dean said, looking anxiously over at Seamus who gave her a _we-definitely-weren't-just-talking-about-you_ wave and smile.

"What's everyone talking about so early this morning?" she asked, looking from one guilty face to the next.

Neville was the only one with enough courage to tell her, "Well everyone's still talking about what happened last night. Some of them are scared to be around you because they think the Death Eaters will come after them too," Neville said almost sympathetically.

"Not that _we_ would ever think that," Parvati said in a comforting tone that was almost believable.

"What happened last night wasn't our fault," Hermione said, "We're just as shaken up about it as everyone else is!"

"It's not that simple though, Hermione," Seamus said, "We know it's not your fault, but either way, wherever you are... something happens, and it scares people."

"So everyone's just going to ignore us and run away from us now?" Hermione asked incredulously.

"Well not everyone..." Parvati gave her a reassuring smile.

"Thanks Parvati," Hermione said flatly.

Just then, Harry and Ron walked down the stairs. A group of first years who were huddled over near the fire started looking around as if just because they had entered the room, more Death Eaters were sure to follow.

"Over here," Hermione called.

"Good morning," Harry yawned, "Didn't get much sleep last night," he explained.

"Well in case you didn't have enough to worry about, I just thought I'd let you know that everyone's scared to be around us now because we bring evil everywhere!" Hermione seethed.

Harry and Ron looked around at the group of people they were standing with, who had all averted their eyes and seemed quite interested in whatever they were looking at.

"Well I got used to it in second year when I was apparently the Heir of Slytherin, and in fifth year when I was a lying madman," Harry muttered darkly, "They'll get over it eventually."

Ron cast a weary look around the circle, "Do you all think that too?"

The group answered with mutterings like "Well... I..." or "I never said..." or "We just..."

"No need to go on, we understand," Ron narrowed his eyes, "Let's go."

Hermione and Harry followed Ron out of the common room. They were all slightly hurt by the fact that everyone blamed them for what had happened the night before.

They sat at the end of the Gryffindor table for breakfast by themselves, still talking about the death eater attack and what it could mean.

After everyone had arrived, the owl post came in. A beautiful grey owl swooped down in front of Hermione and stuck its leg out. The bird almost looked as if this was a waste of its precious time and took off after Hermione had gotten the parchment off.

She unrolled it and read the note.

_Hermione-_

_Normal place normal time as we used to? Send back a reply... don't worry about Duke... the owl... my father bought him for me years ago, seems to have the same traits as him._

_Draco_

Hermione closed the note and took a piece of parchment out of her bag to scribble a note bag saying she was looking forward to seeing him later.

"I'm going to run up to the owlery, I'll see you two in Transfiguration," Hermione said as she took off out of the Great Hall.

"Where _is_ Malfoy this morning," Ron asked, furrowing his brows and looking around. Draco was nowhere to be seen.

"Dunno..." Harry said, looking around also.

Draco had woken up, showered, and gotten dressed before he decided that he really didn't feel like going down to the Great Hall to eat with everyone that morning. As a matter of fact, he didn't really feel like going to classes either.

Instead, he grabbed a piece of parchment and wrote a note to Hermione and ran up to the owlery to send it, so it would reach her in the morning post, and returned to his room.

Lying down with his hands behind his head, Draco closed his eyes and decided to go back to sleep for a while; if anyone asked, he would just say he didn't feel well.

"Draco, get your arse out of bed," he heard Blaise call, "Breakfast's over in ten minutes."

"Don't feel well," Draco answered simply.

Blaise pushed back his hangings and looked at him, "You're fine, stop hiding in here."

"I'm not _hiding_, I just simply don't feel like going to classes today," Draco replied.

"Right, well when you're done acting like you're five, I'll be in classes," Blaise said, shutting the hangings. A minute later, Draco heard the door to their room open and shut.

After about ten minutes, Draco had dozed off into a light sleep. Well, for about five minutes anyway before he awoke to an owl pecking at his arm. He attempted to swat it away, but it was persistent.

He heaved a sigh and sat up, taking the note from the owl and shooing it away.

_Draco-_

_I'll look forward to seeing you then._

_Hermione_

Well it wasn't much, but it was enough. Draco set the note on his desk and lay back down to go to sleep for the morning.

Classes that day seemed to go by slower than usual. They had Transfiguration, Herbology, and Double Potions.

"Please tell me it's almost over," Harry groaned as the time seemed to slow down to half speed during Potions.

"Ten minutes," Hermione said, "But you still have to add your Doxie venom, and that takes seven minutes to simmer before it's done."

Harry groaned, getting up to grab a vile of Doxie venom and returning to his seat.

Professor Snape was walking around the room observing everyone's progress. He stopped at Harry's desk and smirked maliciously, "Mr. Potter, please read line six for me of the instructions on the board."

Harry sighed, looking up to read the board, "Stir three times clockwise, Add one drop werewolf blood and-" He gulped, he realized what he'd forgotten to do, he'd gone on to step seven from there.

"And..." Snape prompted.

"And... stir five times counterclockwise," Harry finished warily.

"Ah, and did you do that, Mr. Potter?" Snape asked, looking down his long, crooked nose at Harry.

"No, sir," Harry said.

"Precisely, that is why your potion is an off shade of green and would be of no use... _ever_," Snape said quietly, holding up his wand, "_Evanesco!"_ he said as the potion disappeared out of Harry's cauldron.

"Just because you seem to attract attention everywhere else you go, does not mean you get special privileges here in my classroom. Maybe you should start paying a bit more attention to what you're doing next time," Snape drawled, walking away.

When he was out of earshot, Harry turned to Ron and muttered, "Crabbe's in boiling and Goyle's is hot pink, but mine is an _off_ _shade of green_ when it's _supposed_ to be green and mine gets vanished!"

"Even Neville's didn't and his is sparking and hissing!" Ron whispered back.

The rest of the day was uneventful. Hermione had cornered Harry and Ron and forced them to do their Charms homework that was due the next day that they'd been putting off all week. With only a few arguments, the boys were finally subdued long enough to finish it.

Hermione used this time to catch up on her reading since she'd found that she didn't have much time for that anymore.

Finally, quarter to eight rolled around and Hermione stood up and stretched.

"Well I'm off to meet Draco," she said, glad she could say it so freely now.

"Don't stay out too late," Ron said

"Don't get caught out of bed," Harry added.

"Watch out for Peeves," Ron called as she was about to turn around.

"Don't let Malfoy get you into trouble," Harry called next.

Hermione rolled her eyes, looking at them, "Anything else _mother?"_

"Yeah," Harry said, "Tell him we said hey."

"And that we're going out for a little game of Quidditch tomorrow around seven in the evening on the pitch if he wants to come," Ron added.

They both turned back to their game of Chess as Hermione laughed at them both. _It's so great how they're coming around_, she thought happily to herself as she left the common room and headed for the Room of Requirement.

Draco got up again around mid-day when Blaise woke him up to give him some lunch he'd brought down to the room. After eating, Draco finished the essay that had been assigned for Potions that morning, which Blaise had brought him the instructions on.

When he was finished with that, he decided to go down to the common room to hang out for a bit before going to meet Hermione.

Two of the fourth year girls that had been sitting on the chair that he usually resided on jumped up as soon as they saw him enter the room and found somewhere else to sit, flashing him flirty smiles as they went.

Draco rolled his eyes and sat down. Within about five minutes, there was a huge group of people around him and he was top dog in Slytherin once again.

It was hard to ignore, of course, the group of Slytherins sitting in the corner far away from him that kept shooting glances over at him. The group included Pansy Parkinson, her friend Millicent and a few of the other students whose parents, Draco knew, were also Death Eaters.

Draco shook his head at that thought, he was acting for their side anyways, and here they were probably plotting against him.

Looking at the time, he decided it was time to go and got up to leave, saying goodbye to the people he'd been talking to.

Making a last minute decision, he walked over to the group in the corner, obviously surprising them.

"You can forget whatever you're thinking or plotting over here because you have no idea what's going on," he said matter-of-factly, "I know things you would _die_ to know so my advice to you is to not get involved."

They all stared at him before Pansy opened her mouth, "So what are you saying, Draco? What do you know?"

"Ah, that, I can't tell you, I'm just warning you that you should stay away from plotting against me, I'm still a Slytherin and I always will be," he said.

The people in the group seemed to understand that he was implying that he was still on their side so they all just smiled and some even apologized while others denied that they were doing anything completely.

"I'm off," he said after he got sick of their apologies, "Goodnight."

With that, Draco swept out of the common room, smirking at himself for shutting them up. Even if he didn't _want_ to be on their side, the fact remained that he was.

Hermione sat down on one of the couches that had appeared in the room and put her legs up to wait for Draco. About five minutes later he walked in the door, pulling her off the couch by her hands and sweeping her into his arms.

He smirked at her surprised expression and leaned down to kiss her softly.

"Good evening," Hermione said, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"How was your day?" He asked, his forehead pressed against hers.

"Fine, nothing too exciting," she said. She couldn't help but smile from being in such close proximity to him. It felt like it had been a million years since they'd been able to be alone together even though it'd really only been about three days.

"Where were you today?" she asked.

"Didn't feel well," he said nonchalantly.

She looked at him skeptically for a minute before shrugging it off, "Well thanks for last night, you really saved our arses."

Draco nodded but didn't say anything.

"You know, we thought there was something odd about the Attack last night," Hermione told him, finally pulling back to pull him down on the couch with her.

Hermione went on to tell him how they had thought it odd that they would attack at Hogwarts with Dumbledore around and how they didn't seem to fight back much.

Draco didn't say anything while she voiced her concern, but instead was thinking frantically to himself, _flawless, huh father?_

"...But either way, you really saved us!" she finished.

Draco forced a smile, "Well I couldn't just watch!" he said half-jokingly.

"So how are Potter and Weasley doing?" Draco asked.

"Oh, they're alright, everyone seems to think it's our fault there was an attack, so they're being really distant and paranoid, but they'll get over it," Hermione said as if it were nothing.

Draco felt another pang of guilt. _My fault_, he thought.

"Well, uh, at least it'll be okay," he said.

"Oh, that reminds me," Hermione cut in, "Harry said to say hi for them and Ron wanted me to tell you that they're going out for a game of Quidditch at seven tomorrow night and you were welcome to join."

Draco smiled, "Yeah, I think I will. I'll just double-check my schedule, but tell them I should be there."

Hermione beamed back at him, "Great! I'm glad you boys are getting on well."

Draco pulled her closer to him, "That was your doing," he smirked.

They sat there talking for a while, Hermione attempted to explain what the lessons that day were about, before realizing that Draco didn't seem to be registering anything she was saying. The conversation then turned to Christmas break, which Draco steered quickly to a different subject.

Finally, Hermione noticed that Draco wasn't listening again. Instead, he was looking right into her chocolate brown eyes, unblinking.

Their eyes locked and neither could think of anywhere they'd rather be. Draco leaned down and kissed Hermione firmly on the lips. She smiled into the kiss and returned it with a soft, content moan.

Draco's hand reached up and rested on her cheek. She reached her hand up and placed it on his. It was not a hungry, needy kiss, but a sweet, tender kiss.

Hermione opened her mouth to him and he slipped his tongue in, massaging hers. After a few moments of bliss, Hermione pulled back enough to catch a breath of air.

Draco moved his lips to her ear, "I love you," he whispered, barely audibly. His breath tickled her ear, sending shivers up her spine. Hermione couldn't remember ever feeling happier in her life. This was where she was supposed to be.

Draco leaned back and looked hazily into her eyes, "No matter what happens, you know that, right?"

Hermione tried reading his expression, but all she could find was sincerity. She didn't know why his last statement had unnerved her slightly, but she decided to wave it off. She nodded, her smile broadening, "I love you too, Draco."

Draco gave her a crooked smile, closing his eyes and pressing his lips back against hers. His fingers traced her jaw line as his lips moved down to her neck, placing soft kisses down to her collar bone. He worked his way back up to her lips giving her a long, passionate kiss before pulling back.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes, her lips still slightly parted and her cheeks flushed, to see Draco looking back at her with a smirk on his face.

"What?" she asked.

"Enjoying yourself?" he laughed.

Hermione couldn't help but laugh too, even though she was trying to look reproving. She slapped him playfully on the arm, "You're a git."

"But a _loving_ git," Draco smiled innocently.

Hermione sighed, looking up at the time, "Well, I've got to get going, I don't want Harry and Ron to worry."

Draco tried to hold back a chuckle, "You're not serious are you? They wouldn't really worry about you when you're with _me_?"

"Well, probably not," she admitted, "But I really should be headed back, I've got some homework to finish up."

"For a month from now?" Draco joked.

Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, "A week from Wednesday."

Draco helped her up, taking her hand as he walked her back to Gryffindor Tower. When they arrived at the portrait of the Fat Lady, he pulled her back to him.

"Thanks for another wonderful night," Hermione said.

"How can it not be wonderful, you're with _me_," Draco smirked at her.

She rolled her eyes, "Goodnight Draco."

"Goodnight," he said, leaning down to give her one more soft kiss.

She flashed him another smile over her shoulder as she climbed through the portrait hole and into the common room.

She wasn't much surprised to see that Harry and Ron were still playing chess, though Ron seemed to be beating the trousers off of Harry.

"I'm back," she told them, "Have you two even started the essay that's due tomorrow?"

Harry looked up at her, "Well, you see... we were..."

"But we're just about to..." Ron added.

Hermione shook her head, "I'm not going to help you if you don't at least _try_. I'm heading up to bed, if you want help tomorrow, you better do that essay tonight!" she warned, heading up to her dormitory to go to bed.

Draco walked back down to the dungeons with his hands in his pockets, feeling better than he had in a long time.

"Hey Blaise," he said as he walked into the room, flopping down on his bed and throwing his hands behind his head.

"Have a good night, then?" Blaise asked, raising his eyebrows.

"Mmhmm..." Draco answered, "And before anything fucks up my mood, I'm going to sleep," he smiled, turning over on his bed and closing his eyes.

Blaise shook his head. _I guess I'll wait until the morning to give him the letter his father's owl left for him._ He turned off the light and turned over to go to sleep as well.


	26. Quidditch

Chapter 26: Quidditch

"Drake..."

Draco rolled over on his bed, swatting away whatever was trying to wake him up already.

"Drake!"

He groaned, covering his head with his pillow.

"Draco, wake up!"

Draco grabbed the other pillow beneath his head and chucked it at the offending noise.

Giving up, Blaise grabbed Draco's arm and pulled him off the bed, (with a bit of trouble as Draco was clinging quite relentlessly to the bedpost).

With a loud _thunk_, Draco landed on the floor, half of his blankets falling with him.

"Wha tha fuck wuzz thatta bout..." Draco muttered sleepily.

"Get up you git," Blaise said, sitting down on Draco's now empty bed.

Draco sat up throwing off his covers and standing up slowly, stretching as he did so.

"What do you want," he said more clearly, still trying to get the sleep out of his eyes.

"You were in such a good mood last night that I didn't feel like ruining it, but I just thought I'd let you know that there's a letter here to you from your father," Blaise said matter-of-factly.

Draco seemed to wake up at that thought, "Where is it?"

"On your dresser, and in case you were wondering, class starts in fifteen minutes and you look like shit," Blaise smiled innocently at him, "I'm going to grab some fruit or something, I'll meet you in Herbology."

With that, he got up and walked to the door, "Good luck," he called over his shoulder as he left.

Draco tore open the envelope and unfolded the parchment, it read:

_Draco,_

_With about a month left until the final part of your task, I believe there is a lot we need to discuss. Setting plans, details, that sort of thing._

_You have so far impressed me with your work, school and __other__ wise. I expect the rest of your task to go as smoothly as it has thus far. Do not let Him down, Draco._

_Twelve o'clock tomorrow night, the usual place._

_Lucius Malfoy_

Draco crumpled up the letter, "_Incendio_." The parchment burst into flames and Draco watched as it turned to ash, falling gracefully upon the floor.

"_Scourgify_," he muttered as the ashes disappeared.

_'Tomorrow night' _was tonight. That meant that with everything else he had to do tonight, he also had a meeting with his father to look forward to.

Draco took a deep breath before grabbing his towel and heading for the shower, being late to Herbology didn't seem to bother him too much with the impending thoughts of what the final part of his task was going to entail.

Hermione awoke in good spirits early the next morning. Her dreams had been filled with a certain blond Slytherin, causing the smile on her face to linger even after she'd woken up.

She'd waited down in the common room for Harry and Ron to go down to breakfast before they headed off to double Defense Against the Dark Arts class.

One problem she found with being in love was that it was getting considerably harder to concentrate or pay attention for long spans of time in her classes.

After class, she said goodbye to Harry and Ron while they headed off to Divination and turned the opposite direction to go to Arithmancy.

When she got there she found Draco was already there, sitting next to his friend Blaise, obviously deep in a quiet conversation.

"...not just a game, Drake," she heard Blaise say.

"I never said it was, look, I'm going to talk with him ton- Oh, good morning Hermione," Draco said, giving her a warm smile and pulling out the chair next to him while he turned back to Blaise, "Look drop it, okay. I'll talk to you after I talk to him," he said so quietly that Hermione almost missed it.

He turned back to her smiling, "So how did you sleep?"

"Just fine," she said, furrowing her brows, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, it's fine, Blaise is just being a git."

Blaise rolled his eyes, taking out his Arithmancy textbook, "Good morning, Granger," he said pleasantly.

"Good morning," she replied, "Are you sure everything's okay?" she said, turning her gaze back to Draco.

"Don't worry about it, it's fine," he answered dismissively.

Hermione looked at him a moment longer as if fighting with herself over whether or not to press the subject. Finally, she looked away, grabbing her book out of her bag and setting it in front of her.

The rest of the class went uneventfully, other than scolding Blaise for sending paper airplanes at Eloise Midgen.

After the bell rang, they gathered up their things and exited the room. Draco put his arm around Hermione as they walked to lunch together. He walked her over to the Gryffindor table and gave her a kiss, "I'll see you later," he said.

"Oh! Draco, I told Harry and Ron I'd spend the afternoon with them, and I know you're going out for a game of Quidditch with them after dinner, but are you doing anything after that?" she said before he turned around.

"No, I think I'll be free, but I'll have to be back earlier than usual because of all the homework I have," he said, making up an excuse.

"Well I was actually thinking maybe we could go for a walk or something instead of just going... where we usually go," she said, noticing that there were other people listening and although most people knew about the Room of Requirement, she wasn't going to go around advertising it, it was one of those things she liked to keep private.

"Yeah, that sounds great," he said, giving her a genuine smile, "I'll meet you outside the pitch afterwards?"

"I can do that," she said, smiling back at him, "I usually go down and watch when they play anyways."

He leaned down and gave her another kiss, "I'll see you tonight then."

He turned and walked over to the Slytherin table.

Halfway through lunch, Hermione looked up to see that Draco was having another hushed conversation with Blaise. She didn't know why, but she was slightly unnerved by this.

Harry looked up at her from his sandwich, "Is something wrong?"

"No..." she hesitated, "No I'm fine, just wondering what they're arguing about," she said, gesturing to the Slytherin table with her chin.

"I'm sure it's nothing, 'Mione," Ron said nonchalantly between bites of his chicken.

"Yeah..." she said, shaking her head to clear it, "Yeah, I'm sure you're right."

The afternoon classes passed and the Gryffindors made their way back inside from the Greenhouses and up to their common room.

"So, Harry, up for a game of wizards' chess?" Ron asked, grinning.

"Not today, Ron, I've lost one too many times this week," Harry replied, shaking his head and sitting down with Ginny on the nearest couch.

"_Fine_, how about you Hermione?" Ron said.

"Me? You're kidding!" Hermione laughed.

"Awe, come on, you never play me anymore!" Ron whined.

"That's because the last time I played you, you won in _three_ moves!"

"That's right, I remember that now!" he said, smiling broadly at the memory, "I'll go easy on you this time."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "_Fine_."

About ten moves into the game, Ron was really struggling to not beat her yet, but keeping true to his word, he repeatedly moved his pieces in the _wrong_ direction.

Harry started staring off into the fire after watching the game for a little while and ended up dozing off.

Hermione had completely abandoned any wild hope she had had on beating Ron and watched in defeat as Ron gave up on playing easy.

They decided to let Harry rest while Hermione badgered Ron to take out his Charms essay which, eventually, she ended up helping him completely rewrite while Ginny took out the Transfiguration essay she had to finish.

"I hate the O.W.L. year," Ginny muttered mutinously.

"Oh Ginny, it wasn't that bad. Sure it's a bit more work, but it'll really help you in the long run," Hermione told her wisely. She looked over at Ron who was concentrating so hard on a nonverbal charm that his face was turning purple as he jabbed wildly at a textbook.

"No Ron, you see, this is why you haven't been able to master this yet, it's not a _jab_, it's a _flick_, you see, like this," she said, showing him how it was supposed to be done.

"But I thought the book said-" Ron was saying before they were all startled by Harry awaking with a jolt.

He sat up, breathing fast and looking around.

"Harry, you alright, mate?" Ron asked.

"I... yeah... I'm... fine, good," he said, still looking around uneasily.

"Are you sure?" Ginny asked, moving over to him and taking his hand.

"What is it, Harry?" Hermione asked, concerned.

"Just a... dream," Harry said, "Nothing to... worry about."

"Harry have you had this dream before?" Hermione asked, trying to read his expression.

"I told you, Hermione, it's _just_ a dream," he said with a note of finality in his voice.

"Harry I think you should-" she started.

"What, go to Dumbledore?" he snapped.

"Harry, she's just trying to help," Ginny said in a soothing voice.

"Well, I mean, he would want to know," Hermione said, trying to reason with him.

"Look, it doesn't matter, alright? Just forget about it," Harry told her.

"Harry, I know you might not want to... but I agree with 'Mione," Ron said.

"I'm not bothering him with this, just leave it," Harry said.

"Could you at least tell us what it was about?" Hermione asked.

"I don't even remember anymore," Harry lied, "It was just a dream."

He looked up at the time, "It's nearly time for dinner, I'm going to put my bag upstairs." He leaned over to give Ginny a kiss, she still looked uneasy, "I'm alright, really," he said in the most reassuring voice he could muster.

Hermione and Ron looked at each other as Harry went upstairs, "Something isn't right," Hermione said.

"Maybe he'll tell us about it later tonight after he's had time to calm down," Ron said.

"I'm going to put my things away too," Ginny said getting up.

"Alright, see you at dinner then," Ron said, turning back to Hermione as Ginny headed up to the girls' dormitories.

"I'm going to stay out for a while with Draco after your Quidditch game tonight, see what you can get out of him on your own while I'm gone."

"Alright," Ron agreed, "Quidditch should put Harry in a better mood anyways."

After dinner, Draco headed out of the castle with Harry and Ron, meeting Dean, Ginny, Seamus, a reluctant Neville, and Blaise at the pitch. Hermione had said she'd be down after she'd grabbed a cloak.

When everyone had arrived, Harry called their attention, "Alright, so here's how we're going to do this," he said smiling, "One keeper, one chase, one beater, one seeker per team. That means Malfoy and I are on separate teams, I'll take Ginny as my Chaser, Malfoy, you get Dean."

"Then I'll take Weasley as my keeper," Draco said.

Harry hesitated, "_Fine_," he agreed when he saw no way around it, "I'll take Seamus as my beater and Blaise for my keeper."

Draco looked around, remembering that he still needed a beater, "So that means I get... Longbottom?"

"Yes," Harry said, grinning.

"Longbottom have you ever even played Quidditch, let alone flown on a broom?" Draco asked.

"Well..." Neville said, looking nervous, "Not really, but I did get a Cleansweep 7 for my birthday last year that I rode a few times over the summer."

Draco sighed, "Alright, looks like we're set."

Hermione had just arrived at the pitch as everyone was getting ready to mount their brooms. Neville looked as if he was going to faint.

"Harry if you give me the ball box, I can let them out for you," she offered.

"Sure, sounds great, wait 'til you see everyone's in position then let them out," Harry instructed, "Only one of each ball since it's a small game."

Everyone kicked off from the ground and went up to their positions. Hermione let the balls out and went to sit in the stands.

The game was relaxed and light-hearted and every once in a while either Harry or Draco would catch the snitch. After an hour, Neville was looking as if he might be sick, or perhaps he had hit himself in the head with his own bat, but everyone had decided to head in, thoroughly exhausted.

"...But I had you a couple of times, Potter," she heard Draco say as they walked towards her.

"You got it _twice_," Harry said.

"But you only got it, what, three times?" Draco countered.

"Four, Malfoy," Harry grinned.

Draco stopped and thought for a second, "Oh, right, I forgot about that... but I was _right_ there on one of them!"

"You know, Blaise isn't that bad of a keeper," Harry commented.

"That's because I trained him," Draco boasted, "I needed something to do over the summer."

"Did you see that one save Ron had!" Dean said, patting Ron on the back, "I thought Ginny had you on that one!"

"Well, I've got to hand it to him, he's actually a pretty decent keeper," Draco admitted.

"What can I say, lots of tedious practice has paid off," Ron grinned.

"Although, Neville..." Draco let the sentence drift off as everyone around laughed.

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Neville said, "Gran never thought much of Quidditch until lately."

"That's alright, Longbottom, luckily Thomas is a good enough chaser to dodge your stray bludgers," Draco smirked.

At the exit to the pitch, Draco and Hermione waved goodbye to everyone else as they headed off towards the lake.

"So why weren't you up there playing with us?" Draco joked.

"Well, you know me and flying," Hermione said, grabbing Draco's hand.

"You didn't seem to mind when you were up there with me," he said smirking.

Hermione laughed, "Yes, I'll give you that, but going for a late night ride and playing Quidditch are two very different things. I don't enjoy flying fast."

"One day," Draco sighed, "One day."

They walked around the lake talking for a while. The sky had turned a dark shade of blue by the time they arrived back where they started.

Draco sat down, pulling Hermione down with him to sit across his lap. Hermione looked up at the sky above them.

"It's a bit cloudy tonight, I wish we could see the stars," she said dreamily.

Draco lay down on the crisp grass as Hermione moved to lie next to him so they were facing each other, "There's nothing else I'd rather be looking at," he told her quietly.

"I know," she said in a tone reminiscent to Draco's usual drawl as she grinned.

"You've been spending too much time with me," he laughed.

"And I don't see anything wrong with that," she said.

Draco leaned over and kissed her soundly, "Neither do I," he said with their lips inches apart.

Hermione leaned back in and kissed him hard, pushing him onto his back. One of Draco's hands came to rest on the back of her neck, pulling her face as close to his as he could get it. The other came to rest on the small of her back, making small circles around her spine.

Draco ran his tongue over her bottom lip and she more than happily opened her mouth to him. They stayed there for a while, tongues battling, heart rates climbing and breath quickening, completely unable and unwilling to pull away.

It wasn't until Hermione shivered that they noticed how cold it had gotten.

"I guess I keep forgetting that winter's coming," Draco whispered, giving her one last kiss on the cheek before standing up and holding out his hands to her. She took them, getting up with him and they made their way hand in hand back up to the castle.

As they walked in, Draco stole a glance at the clock, it was just ten o'clock.

"Even made it in by curfew, something we haven't been so great at lately," Draco said smirking.

"Well we really should try to be on time more often, I mean, we wouldn't want to be caught out of bed after hours," Hermione said earnestly.

Draco rolled his eyes, "You should head up to bed then," he said, pulling her towards him and giving her one last kiss.

Hermione looked down, Mrs. Norris was stalking around one of the suits of armor staring at them, "I guess that's our cue," she sighed.

She stood on her tip toes and kissed his cheek before saying goodnight and heading off towards Gryffindor Tower.

After making sure Hermione had made it up the stairs without being seen, Draco headed back towards the dungeons, where he ran into Snape.

"Good evening, Mr. Malfoy," he said, "What would you be doing out of bed this late?"

"Just lost track of time I guess, Professor," Draco answered, "I'm on my way back to my dormitory right now."

"Well, you'd better get there," Snape said, nodding his head curtly as Draco continued to walk past him.

As a last minute decision, Snape called after him, "And if you have anything you'd like to talk about, Mr. Malfoy, my door is always open."

That said, he strode away towards his office.

Draco watched his teacher walk away from him. _What did he mean by that?_ He thought to himself.

Draco still wasn't sure what side Snape was really on, so he didn't dare say anything to him. Although, he had his suspicions that Snape wasn't as loyal to the Dark Lord as he pretended to be. Albeit, it was just a suspicion, probably a suspicion his father had about him.

When Draco arrived back at his room, he saw that Blaise was sleeping heavily with his Transfiguration textbook laying open on his chest and random parchment full of notes strewn across the bed.

Crabbe and Goyle had apparently turned in early also because there were two large mounds in both of their beds snoring loudly.

Draco decided the best idea so he wouldn't fall asleep would be to take a shower before he went down to meet his father.

Draco spent a good twenty minutes in the shower, letting the hot water warm him up before he would have to go out into the chilly air again.

After Draco had dried and dressed again, he plopped down on his bed with his broom servicing kit and his Nimbus 2001. After a night of flying he decided it could use a good polish.

By the time his Nimbus looked new again, it was time for Draco to leave. He put all of his things back into his trunk and grabbed his cloak.

As he made his way down to the Forbidden Forest, he noticed that the winter was definitely starting to set in.

Once he reached the clearing, he looked up at the clouded sky; he knew he wasn't ready to hear what he would have to do, and what would happen to his... _friends_.

"Good evening, Draco," came the usual cold drawl.

"Good evening, father," Draco replied.


	27. Heavy Burden

Chapter 27: Heavy Burden

Draco slowly made his way back up to the castle after his meeting with his father. It felt like a fifty pound weight had dropped down into his stomach. He felt sick from hearing his father tell him what would happen.

"_...And they'll be a surprise, Draco, just for you."_

A surprise. Draco didn't need any more surprises. He didn't need anything else to fill him with dread. _December 10th_, that was less than a month from now. He only had another month to spend freely with Hermione, with his new friends. Hell, even with his old friends. He couldn't see himself coming back from Christmas break in the mood for anyone.

Draco opened the door to the castle and walked across the Entrance Hall to the stairs to the dungeon. As he approached the portrait heading into the Slytherin common room, he saw Snape was standing in front of it, as if awaiting his arrival.

"Mr. Malfoy," he said, "Wandering around the castle much after curfew?"

"I'm sorry, sir, I couldn't sleep," Draco answered half-heartedly.

"Perhaps a nice chat would do you good before you go back to your dormitory, no?" Snape raised an eyebrow.

Not seeing a way around it, Draco sighed, "Of course, Professor."

Once inside Snape's office, he directed Draco to the seat across from his desk and Draco sat down. Snape walked around his desk and sat down on his own chair.

"So, Draco, do you have any preference of conversation?"

"Not really, sir, I'm actually getting kind of tired," Draco answered.

"So what would be the cause of these late night walks?" Snape asked.

"Just a full mind, I guess, Professor," said Draco.

Forgetting all pretense, Snape looked pointedly at Draco, "Look, Draco, I know the Dark Lord has something planned for you. If you tell me what it is, I can help you. You look entirely stressed out and your grades seem to be dropping."

Draco sat there momentarily stunned at the openness of the man in front of him.

"I- I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about, sir," he said uncertainly.

"Draco," Snape started, trying to find a different approach, "I told your mother I would look after you. You're all she has left. My loyalty still lies with the Dark Lord. Yours, I'm sure, will too. If you need help getting through whatever task he has set you with, I can help you."

Draco took a deep breath before replying, "I'm sorry, sir," he closed his eyes, "But I don't know what you're talking about."

"Draco, I can help you. But if you do not want to accept my help, all I can do is wish you luck, and hope you know what you're doing."

"Thank you, sir, but I really must be getting to bed," Draco said without expression.

Draco and Snape both stood up and headed towards the door, "You're right to not divulge His plan. You're also right in not asking for assistance. It is on your mother's wishes that I have come to you, Draco. If you feel you are in over your head, you can come to me without fear. My door is always open."

With that said, Snape opened his door for Draco and watched as he walked out and turned back to face him, "Thank you, professor." Draco turned back around and headed to his dormitory for some much needed sleep.

Draco was pleased to find that Blaise had already fallen asleep, although on Draco's bed, when he got back. He was not in any mood to talk until he had slept. Draco flopped down on Blaise's unoccupied bed and fell into an uneasy sleep.

Hermione had woken up at her usual ungodly hour, gotten ready and walked down to her usual empty common room. Only something was wrong... it wasn't empty. It was very rare that someone would be up before her, so she was slightly taken aback. Even more so because of who it was.

"Harry...?" Hermione asked cautiously.

Harry sat in his favorite armchair in front of the fire with his back towards Hermione. He was staring at the flames without really seeing anything with a half-full mug of hot chocolate between his hands sitting, neglected, at his lips.

"Harry," Hermione said a little louder, causing him to jump. He turned around to face her, looking as if he was still trying to focus on the real world.

Hermione was surprised to see that he was fully dressed, his book bag sitting next to him on the floor.

"What are you doing up this early?" she asked him.

"Just woke up a bit early, I guess," he replied, shrugging his shoulders.

Hermione took the armchair next to his and kept her eyes on him as he turned back to stare into the fire.

"I really wish you'd tell me what's going on," Hermione said very quietly.

Harry felt guilty at this, his aim wasn't to worry his friends, or make them feel like he didn't trust them. He just didn't want to bother them with such elementary things like dreams. Which, of course, was the reason he was up so early.

He'd been up since about three-thirty, and after deciding he wouldn't have been able to go back to sleep even if he had taken the drought of living death potion, he chose his next option: get up, shower, get dressed and go downstairs.

He sighed, "Hermione, I hate to make you so concerned. There's nothing wrong, I just have trouble sleeping sometimes. I thought it would do me better to come down here and finish up the essays I had left than to stay up sitting in bed doing nothing for the remainder of the night."

"How long have you been awake?"

"A few hours," Harry said uncertainly.

"Harry, I'd feel much better if you just told me what these dreams were about. Maybe they're nothing, but I'd like to know all the same," Hermione said.

"Look, I'd tell you if I thought that it was anything important," Harry said, starting to lose his patience. He'd told her before that it was nothing to worry about.

"Harry," she said sternly, "Maybe you don't think it's important, and I know that maybe you just don't want to think about it, but-"

"Hermione, leave it!" Harry told her.

She sat back, arms crossed, her lips pressed tightly together. The look resembled that of Professor McGonagall finding Peeves in a compromising position.

They sat there for a while alone. Neither talked, neither moved. Hermione sat staring at the wall opposite her, and Harry sat staring into the fire. Every once in a while, Hermione would throw him an annoyed look before turning back to the wall. They were both stuck in their own worlds of thought.

After about an hour, groups of people started coming downstairs to sit, finish an assignment, or head down to breakfast. Finally, Ron appeared, yawning while he nodded at something Neville had said.

"Morning," he said groggily when he reached their chairs.

Both looked up, trying to register words again.

"Morning," Hermione said shortly after she'd realized that someone was talking to her.

Harry just nodded, looking around, surprised to see how many people were mulling about around the common room.

"How long you been up, Harry?" Ron asked.

"A little while," Harry said.

"Few hours," Hermione corrected him, her eyes burning into the back of his head.

Harry rolled his eyes, "I'm going down to breakfast, care to join me, Ron?"

"Uh... sure," Ron said slowly, looking back and forth between the two.

Hermione scoffed, pushing herself up and going over to where Lavender and Parvati were standing, talking to Dean.

"Have you two been in a row already this morning?" Ron asked.

"You could say that," Harry said grumpily.

"Not in the mood to elaborate?" he asked.

"Not really," Harry said standing up.

"I... erm... actually told Lavender that I'd walk her down to, uh, breakfast," Ron said, turning pink, "Would you mind if we waited for her?"

"If she's still over with Hermione, then you can wait for her, it looks like Seamus is headed down anyways," Harry said, heading for the portrait hole, "I'll see you there."

Ron watched him leave, walking awkwardly over to Lavender, still trying to figure out what he'd walked in on.

On the break in between their first two classes, Harry quickly excused himself up to the boys' dormitories, leaving Ron and Hermione down in the common room with the rest of the sixth year Gryffindors.

"I'll be back in a few minutes, Ronnie," Lavender said, smiling broadly at him as she pranced up the stairs.

"So, how are things with Lavender, _Ronnie_?" Hermione asked, grinning.

His ears got red, and he looked down at the floor, "Things are actually really good, I just don't understand why she has to call me Ronnie."

"Well I think it fits you quite well," Hermione teased.

"Be quiet," Ron said looking embarrassed, "So tell me, what happened with you and Harry this morning?"

"Well he'd been up for hours, finished his assignments, gotten showered, dressed and packed, and looked like he'd been sitting in that chair for a fair bit by the time I came down here," she informed him.

"Any idea why he was up so early?" Ron asked.

"Another dream," she answered, "Did you ask him about it last night?"

"I tried to, but he changed the subject, said it was '_nothing to worry about'_."

"I don't like this," Hermione said seriously, "It really scares me."

Ron looked at her questioningly.

"Well, after all that he's been through, he's afraid to trust his instincts. He's afraid he'll be the cause of something else happening, like it did last time. But sometimes... I don't know... I just feel that sometimes maybe he needs to listen to that other voice telling him to do something about it. I don't know what these dreams are, but I think we could help him, he just won't let us."

Ron nodded, "But there's really not much we can do."

"We can knock some sense into him," Hermione suggested, only half joking.

"Alright," Ron grinned, "Let's talk with him tonight."

"Sounds good, but I told Draco I'd meet him in about ten minutes, so I should get going," Hermione told him, getting up.

"That works out well, because here comes Lavender, we were going to go for a bit of a walk," Ron smiled.

"Well, enjoy your walk with _Lavie_," Hermione grinned, "Bye, Ronnie!"

She swept out of the common room, making her way to the Entrance Hall where she was meeting Draco.

"You look unusually tired," Hermione commented as she sat comfortably on a plush red couch with her feet up on a coffee table in the Room of Requirement. Draco lay with his head in her lap, eyes closed.

"Just up late last night, talking to Blaise," Draco said nonchalantly.

"You should try to get to bed earlier on school nights," Hermione told him sternly.

Draco opened his eyes and looked up at her smirking, "Yes, mother."

Hermione sighed, "It was just a suggestion."

"How much longer until the next class starts?" Draco asked.

"About a half an hour still."

"What's on your mind?" Draco cocked his head to the side, trying to get a better look at her. Something about the look on her face didn't set right.

"Oh, it's just Harry," she answered.

"Thinking about Potter while you're here with me? I don't think a _single_ girl has _ever_ thought about another boy while with me," he raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, not like that," she sighed, "Something's not right with him, and he won't tell me what it is."

"Maybe it's just not a big deal," Draco suggested.

"That's what he keeps saying, but I don't believe him, something's bothering him. He's always told me about things, always came to me for help. It's odd that he wouldn't about something that's _obviously_ bothering him."

Draco nodded, thinking, "Has he told Weasley?"

"No, Ron tried last night, but he gave him the same answer, '_it's nothing'_."

"Maybe it's just something he needs to figure out himself," Draco said.

"I don't know, maybe," Hermione allowed, "But either way, I wish he'd let me help him."

"You need to relax a bit," Draco commented, a new glint to his eyes.

"Oh, and how am I going to do that?" Hermione said, not realizing what he was saying.

Draco sat up, pulling Hermione towards him, "What're you doing?" she asked him in a squeak at his sudden movement.

Without answering her, he kissed her soundly on the lips, ceasing any further questions she might have asked. When he felt the shock wear off, he moved his lips to her neck, kissing her softly.

"I said, _you need to relax_," Draco said quietly.

Hermione smiled, leaning into him. She recaptured his lips with her own, "I think you're right," she said with her mouth an inch from his and her eyes still closed.

Draco went back to kissing her neck, Hermione's hands running through his silky hair. She kept her eyes closed, soaking in the moment. She never wanted it to end. She'd give anything to stay here in his arms for the rest of her life, it just felt so _right_.

She let out a soft moan as his lips came in contact with her collarbone. She tilted her head to the side to give him more access, which he took full advantage of. One of his hands rested on the back of her neck while the other sat underneath the back of her shirt, drawing little circles around the bottom of her spine with his fingers.

Finally, his lips moved back up to hers and were eagerly greeted. They stayed there for a while together, kissing, or just sitting there. The funny thing about love was that nothing needed to be said for the other to know how you felt. It was completely normal to just be there in their arms, with no where you'd rather be, and no one you'd rather be with.

After a bit of intense snogging, and a bit of catching their breath, they found themselves on the floor with a blanket thrown haphazardly over themselves, half of which was still on the couch.

"We have to get to class," Hermione said at last.

"Then I guess I'll need my shirt back," Draco smirked at her.

"It's... um..." she said, looking around, "Oh, it's behind the couch."

"You should know, you threw it there," he teased.

"Oh that's funny," Hermione said looking embarrassed, "You're so _mature_."

Draco laughed openly at her, "You know, you're cute when you're embarrassed, and your cheeks get really red."

"Oh shut it," Hermione said standing up and picking up her shirt that went over her undershirt, which had miraculously stayed on.

After they had both made themselves presentable again, Draco opened the door and they strode off down the hall towards the dungeons since they both had double potions that afternoon.

Later that night, Draco went back to his dormitory early so he could get his homework done, but was less than surprised to see Blaise waiting for him on his bed.

"Knew you couldn't avoid the room forever," he said without looking up from the magazine he was reading.

"You were asleep when I got back last night," Draco said, shrugging his shoulders.

"Well I'm awake now, tell me what happened."

Draco sat down on his own bed and put his head in his hands, "Last night he told me the rest of the details. There's going to be a portkey that I have to get them all to touch and it's going to take us to my father and the Dark Lord."

"And you're going to do it?" Blaise asked.

"I don't know why you keep saying things like that, Blaise. Yes, I'm going to do it, I haven't got any other _choices_."

Blaise opened his mouth to say something, but Draco cut him off, "I'm not going to Dumbledore or Snape."

Blaise shook his head in defeat, "Go on then."

Draco went on to tell him everything his father had told him the night before. By the time he had finished, he felt so disgusted that he couldn't even look at Blaise.

Blaise felt sick, "What did he mean, _surprise_... for you?"

"To tell you the truth, I don't even want to know," Draco said, he was shaking.

All Blaise wanted to do was tell him that he was being stupid, that he could go to someone, that they could get help. But he knew it didn't matter, Draco wouldn't listen. And saying some shit like '_It'll be okay'_ or '_Don't worry about it'_ wasn't going to help, if anything, would only make it worse, because in all honestly, it wouldn't be okay, it couldn't.

"I need to do my homework," Draco said, getting up and going to his school bag to grab some books.

Blaise got up and walked to the door, "I'm going down to the kitchen to grab a drink, I'll bring you something back. And Drake..." he said looking at a loss for words, "...I'm sorry mate."

He closed the door softly behind him and headed for the kitchens.

Draco looked down at his textbook, not really seeing anything, _I'm sorry too_, he thought.


	28. Coming Closer

Chapter 28: Coming Closer

Hermione sat in the Gryffindor common room with Neville that evening, trying to help him study for the potions test they had the next morning. Unfortunately, she couldn't seem to concentrate very well on what she was telling him because she knew she still had to talk to Harry.

Harry, Ron and Ginny were all off at Quidditch practice. Afterwards, Ron had said he would come back with Harry and bring him upstairs, where Hermione would already be waiting for them. She was afraid that Harry just wouldn't listen or would continue to say it was nothing, but she knew they had to try.

"Hermione... Hermione?" Neville's voice broke through her thoughts.

"Oh, sorry, must have dazed a bit, where was I?" she apologized, shaking her head in an attempt to clear it for a minute.

"The pepper-up potion, you were telling me about the ingredients..." he said, looking at her in concern, "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, I'm sorry, I guess I just can't concentrate too well tonight," she admitted.

"We can stop studying for the night," Neville said hopefully.

Hermione looked torn between agreeing with him so she could go upstairs, and listening to the normal Hermione-ish voice in her head telling her to keep studying.

"I guess that would be alright, I mean, we've been studying for about an hour, that should be good. Do you have any questions before I leave?" she said.

"No, I think I'm good, thanks Hermione!" Neville said, scooping up his books and rushing out of the portrait hole before she changed her mind.

Hermione glanced out the window, it was starting to get dark. That probably meant that Quidditch practice was almost over anyways. She sighed, packing up her own books and heading upstairs to her dormitory to put her things away before heading to the boys' dormitory.

"...Absolutely fantastic save there, Ron!" One of the new beaters congratulated him as they walked up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower.

"And that catch, Harry!" Ginny grinned, squeezing his hand, "That was cute."

"Cute!" Ron exclaimed, "He only had one leg left hanging onto his broom! That wasn't _cute,_ that was bloody brilliant!"

They were all laughing as they stepped into the Gryffindor common room.

"See you, match this Saturday!" Harry called to his teammates as they went to join their other friends.

"I'm going to take a shower, I'll probably be down later," Ginny said, leaning up to give Harry a kiss.

"I'll see you later then," Harry said, leaning down to kiss her again.

"Come on, mate," Ron said shaking his head and grabbing Harry's arm.

Harry laughed, waving goodbye to Ginny as Ron dragged him up the stairs.

"I think I'll take a shower, too," Harry said.

"Well, before you do, let's go to the room," Ron said.

Harry and Ron walked into the room and Ron quickly shut the door and locked it behind him. Hermione was sitting on the edge of Ron's bed waiting for them. She gave a weak smile as they came in. Harry looked mildly aggravated and quite wary.

"Are you ambushing me?" he asked dryly.

"Harry, we just want to talk," Hermione said calmly.

"You're in on this too?" Harry rounded on Ron.

"Just sit down and listen to what we've got to say," Ron said hesitantly.

Harry huffed, sitting down on his bed and crossing his arms.

"Look, Harry, we know you don't want to talk about whatever's bothering you," Ron started.

"But you're really worrying us," Hermione went on, "I can't remember the last time we weren't talking. I hate not talking to you, Harry. I just wish you could trust us enough to tell us what's going on."

Harry sighed, he could already feel the guilt sneaking in, "It's not that I don't trust you," he said, "I just don't want to bother you with something as stupid as this. It's only bothering me because of everything that happened at the Ministry... everything that happened with Sirius."

"Even if it is something stupid, we'd like to know about it," Ron told him, "I don't think any of us have ever had secrets."

Hermione shifted uncomfortably, she _had_ kept Draco from them for a while, "And maybe there's something we can help with," she added.

Harry looked back and forth between them. These were his best friends. These were the people he'd told everything to, the two people he trusted more than anything. It couldn't hurt to tell them, if anything, it would just help to lessen the tension between them.

"Well, you see," Harry started, trying to think of where to begin, "It's just this dream that I keep getting. I can never really remember all of the details when I wake up, it all seems to come in little flashes... like a preview."

Hermione and Ron were quiet, listening intently.

"All I can really remember is that we're all there, but I'm not really sure where _there_ is..." he furrowed his brow in concentration, "There are others there too, not a lot of others, maybe two or three, but I don't know who. Something's definitely wrong though."

He looked up, the other two looked as if they were hanging on his every word.

"We're not right. I remember the place was dirty, covered in dust... and it was cold. But someone is really happy, because there's always a laugh, it's not one of ours though."

Hermione and Ron exchanged an uncertain glance and looked back at Harry.

"Someone's betrayed because there's always a whisper saying '_how could you'_...and I always wake up feeling scared, worried, jumpy..." He had decided to leave out the platinum blonde he remembered always flashing in his dreams.

The others were silent, sorting through their own thoughts. After a few minutes, Harry was getting anxious, "But it was only a dream, right?"

Hermione opened her mouth as if to speak, but changed her mind and closed it before a sound came out.

"I... don't know," Ron said cautiously, "I mean, how many times have you had this dream?"

"A few... five or six... maybe a few more," Harry said offhandedly.

"Same thing every time?" Hermione contemplated.

"Yeah," Harry said.

"Look, Harry, maybe you should-" Hermione started to say.

"I'm not going to Dumbledore," Harry told her flatly.

Hermione closed her mouth again in defeat.

"As I see it," Harry said, "There's no cold, damp, dark places in this castle... with the exception of the dungeons, but nothing bad could happen to us with Dumbledore around, so it's really nothing to worry about... at least not right now."

Hermione nodded reluctantly. She decided she'd drop it for now and think about everything later.

"And I don't want you guys telling anyone about this, okay?" Harry said, looking between them, "Not even Malfoy, Hermione..." he warned and then, "...Or Lavender," he added as an afterthought.

Ron snorted, "I don't think Lavender would find it to be a very interesting conversation anyways."

Hermione yawned, "It's getting pretty late, I should get to bed."

The boys nodded as she stood up, "Thanks for telling us, Harry, it really means a lot," she said seriously.

Harry fought the urge to laugh and instead gave her a smile, "Sorry I didn't tell you guys earlier."

"Goodnight," she said and she left, heading back to her own room.

The following weeks went by uneventfully. Still, none of them had come to any conclusions about Harry's dreams. So each day they would attend classes, and every night they would do their mountains of homework and hang out for a bit before bed, once in a while throwing out possible explanations. Probably four days a week, Hermione would spend the evenings with Draco.

Most nights he would seem normal, talking and laughing and kissing her sweetly. But some nights, he would seem so drained, so out of it that it was almost as if it wasn't really him. As much as it unnerved her when he would act like that, the next night he would seem fine.

The feelings she had for him did not seem to want to go away any time soon, if anything they were only growing stronger. Every day she seemed to find something new she loved about him. Every day she found a new reason to not want to leave his side.

For Draco, there was a battle raging inside of him. Some nights he would think '_If I only have a little more time with her, then I want to make the best of it.'_ But other nights, he would think _'How can I act like everything's okay when it's not?'_ His internal battle seemed to be showing itself to Hermione.

Every once in a while, that beautiful smile of hers would falter, those sparkling eyes would flash concern. He wished he didn't make her feel like that, like he was keeping something from her. But in all honesty, he was. It was all he could do to not burst out and tell her everything. But he couldn't.

And so the weeks went on. November turned into December and the days got colder. Snow now adorned the frozen grass and students wore extra layers whenever they ventured out onto the grounds.

Draco knew his time was dwindling down. He could almost feel his happiness ebbing away. He didn't want this to end. He had finally found love, one thing he'd never been familiar with, and he had friends... _real_ friends who didn't just like him for his money and status.

Harry and Ron had slowly become better friends with Draco. They could talk and hang out without Hermione around and could joke around. They even made plans without Hermione's persuasion. Everything seemed to be going so well.

It was only temporary though. Draco didn't think he'd ever really know happiness. Whenever he came close to it, something would always happen. His father would somehow end up getting in the way.

And now, as he sat in the wet snow in front of the lake, he felt even more of his happiness being sucked out of him. It was the eighth of December. Everyone that was going home for the holidays would be leaving tomorrow. And then... on the tenth... no, he couldn't think about that.

Draco loosely hugged his legs, looking out onto the frozen lake. It all looked so peaceful, like a painting that wouldn't be disturbed.

Tomorrow was the 9th... it would be his last day with Hermione. As much as he hated to think of it that way, that's exactly what it was. Tonight he was going out for a game of Quidditch with Harry, Ron and some of the other players from other house teams.

The wind was starting to pick up as the sun dipped down behind the clouds. It whipped across his face, stinging the uncovered flesh.

"Draco?" he heard a voice call through the wind.

He turned around; Hermione was standing about twenty feet behind him wearing a heavy cloak and a Gryffindor scarf. He smiled weakly at her and stood up.

"Not hiding, are you?" she asked with a grin.

"Of course not, just wanted some fresh air," he smirked at her.

"It's freezing out here, come inside," Hermione said, taking his hand as they headed back to the castle. She used him as a shield from the wind as they trudged through the snow.

Once back inside the warm confines of the castle, Hermione looked up at him, "Everyone's leaving tomorrow," she smiled, "You're still staying, right?"

"Yes," he said, "I'll be here."

"Good," she beamed at him, "Would you like to come up to the Gryffindor common room for a bit before you boys go back out into the ungodly weather to play Quidditch?"

"Depends," he said with a grin, "Is it some kind of trap you Gryffindors set up?"

"Draco!" she laughed, hitting him playfully on the arm and rolling her eyes, "No, I was just wondering if you'd like to come relax for a while."

"Sure," he smiled down at her, "I'm just going to run to my room to grab something dry to put on, I'll be up in a few minutes."

"I'll wait outside for you to let you in," she said.

"Why don't you just tell me the password?" he asked.

"Because it's against school rules to tell someone from another house your password!" she said strictly.

He smiled, _always the same Hermione_, "Alright, I'll be up in a little while."

The evening had gone fine; the boys had come back in after an unusually short game.

"Too cold," Harry had said.

"So much wind," Ron had added.

"I couldn't feel a thing... wouldn't have known if the snitch had flown right into my hand!" Draco said.

"Well that _is_ the only way you would have caught it," Harry joked, grinning.

"Funny, Potter," Draco said, grinning also.

Hermione had made mugs of hot chocolate for them and they had stayed in the Gryffindor common room in front of the fire well into the night before Hermione looked up at the time.

She gasped, "Draco, you really should get back to your dormitory, it's already past curfew!"

Draco laughed, "Yes, _mother_."

She looked at him warily as Harry and Ron stifled their own laughter.

Hermione got up and walked with Draco to the portrait hole.

"Tomorrow evening, Room of Requirement?" Draco whispered in her ear.

A smile broke across her face, "I'd love to," she said.

"I'll see you tomorrow then, shall we say, seven o'clock?"

"Sounds good to me," Hermione said.

"Oh, and you might want to tell Potter and Weasley that you probably won't be back until the next day," he winked at her.

Hermione blushed, "Well, we'll see about that, I mean I'm sure we'll have homework to do and such."

Draco smirked, "I'll see you tomorrow night."

"Goodnight," Hermione said looking up at him, "I love you."

"I love you too," he said quietly as he leaned down and kissed her.

"Goodnight," he waved to the others as he headed back to his own room.

As he lay in bed that night, he tried as hard as he could to block out all thought of what the next few days would entail and just think about the following night that he was going to spend with Hermione.

Unfortunately, his sleep was rough and his dreams were far from pleasant. But then again, he couldn't expect much more, not with the details of the plan etched so unwelcomingly in his head.


	29. The Last Night

Chapter 29: The Last Night

Friday morning came quickly after an uncomfortable night's sleep. Draco rolled out of bed, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to wake up. Looking around he groaned, Crabbe and Goyle were already up and packed, sitting on their beds engaged in, Draco was sure, an unintelligent conversation.

"Where's Blaise?" he asked.

Goyle looked around stupidly, trying to see if there was anyone else Draco would be talking to, "Uh, at breakfast."

"Thanks," Draco said, getting up and heading for the bathroom to get ready.

"Nice to see you got up this morning," Blaise grinned as Draco took the seat next to him.

"Could've woke me up," Draco said irritably.

"But you just looked so peaceful tossing around on your bed," Blaise joked.

"Shut it," Draco warned before dropping his voice, "Everyone's leaving today," he said seriously.

Blaise sobered up, sighing, "If you're really going to go through with this- don't give me that look, it was just a comment- then this is your last night with her, huh?"

"Yeah," Draco said, running a hand through his hair, "One more night."

"Is everything set up for tomorrow?"

"Yep, it's all worked out, I just have to make sure I have them all."

It sounded odd, saying it like that.

Blaise nodded, knowing there was nothing he could say to comfort his friend.

"Come on, we'll be late for class," Draco said, dropping his half-eaten piece of toast.

After the last class had ended, everyone who was leaving got their things together and headed out to catch the train. Hermione stood in the entrance way with Harry as Ron said goodbye to Lavender over by the door.

"So what're we going to do with Gryffindor Tower all to ourselves this year?" Harry said.

"We're finally going to have a chance to relax. But first, we're going to get all of the work we have due when classes recommence done," Hermione smiled innocently at him.

Harry groaned, shaking his head as Ron made his way dazedly back to them.

"What's up with you?" Harry asked.

"She... she kissed me," Ron said faintly.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other before they burst out laughing.

"It's not funny," Ron said, "She really _kissed_ me!"

"That's wonderful, Ron!" Hermione told him earnestly.

"So is she your girlfriend now?" Harry said, trying to stifle his laughter.

"I- I dunno! I mean I didn't ask her, but I guess she kissed me, so does that mean she's my girlfriend? Oh, _bloody hell!_ She probably thinks I don't like her because I didn't ask her to be my girlfriend, what if she never talks to me again-!" Ron said looking thoroughly confused.

"What's up with him?" Draco asked, coming up to the group.

"He's new to the dating thing," Harry said quietly.

"Ron, it'll be fine," Hermione reassured him, "Just wait until break's over and you can ask her out. I'll even find something nice for you to give her for Christmas."

"I never even got her a Christmas present! I mean, is she going to give me one?" Ron kept rambling.

"Calm down," Draco laughed, "Hermione's got you covered."

Ron took a deep breath, "Right, you're right. I'll just talk to her when she gets back, it's only another two weeks right? That's not too long, and I'll send a present... and maybe a card in a few days, so she knows I haven't forgotten about her, girls like cards, right?"

Hermione and Harry laughed, "Yes, girls like cards," Hermione said.

Draco, however, was not laughing. '_Only another two weeks', 'card in a few days.'_ There wasn't going to be another two weeks, or even a few days, to be honest.

"Shall we go catch dinner?" Harry suggested, breaking Draco out of his thoughts.

With nods of approval from everyone else they headed to the Great Hall. There weren't very many people there, just Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny from Gryffindor, six Hufflepuffs, three Ravenclaws and three Slytherin.

"Pansy Parkinson's staying?" Ron wrinkled his nose in disgust.

"Looks like it," Draco sighed, the last thing he needed was Pansy messing something up, "Luckily Blaise is staying too."

The four house tables were gone, and instead one big table sat in the middle of the Hall for the students and the professors.

"Where _is_ Ginny?" Hermione asked; she hadn't seen her all morning.

"She wasn't feeling too well this morning so I guess she's just been sleeping all day," Harry said, "I'll have to go check on her when we get back."

Dinner was uneventful, everyone talked and ate, glad that it was finally vacation, well with the obvious exception of Draco, who tried his hardest to seem excited. Pansy sat at the end of the table talking with Blaise, though she also didn't look very happy.

After everyone was quite stuffed, the food and plates vanished and the students were free to return to their evening activities.

"I've got to run down to my dormitory to change, I'll meet you outside of Gryffindor Tower in about twenty minutes?" Draco said as they walked out of the Great Hall, hand in hand.

"Sure," Hermione smiled, leaning up to give him a kiss before she followed Harry and Ron back up to their common room.

Up in the common room, they found Ginny sleeping on one of the couches.

"Gin...?" Harry said as he walked over to her.

She stirred, slowly opening her eyes and adjusting to the light.

"Hey," she answered groggily, "What time is it?"

"It's past dinner, you must be starving," Hermione said.

"House elves brought me up some food," Ginny told her with a yawn.

"How're you feeling?" Ron asked as he plopped down in the chair across from her.

"Better, I think I just needed a good rest, but I feel much better now," she said, sitting up to talk with the rest of them.

"Up for a game of chess, Harry?" Ron asked.

"I guess," Harry sighed.

They all spent a while hanging out and watching Ron royally crush Harry until Hermione looked at the time and excused herself from her friends.

"I...er... might be back later," she said.

"Why wouldn't you be?" Harry asked, furrowing his brows.

"Well I may just stay there for the night, you know, sleeping," Hermione shifted uncomfortably.

Ginny laughed as Harry and Ron shared a look that clearly said, _Just don't ask!_

"Right, see you later then," Ron said, turning back to the game, "Tell Malfoy we said hi."

"And that we expect to hear from you in the morning at the latest, or we'll be forced to intrude, because _we know where you are_," Harry smiled innocently at her, "But trust me when I say, I'd really rather _not_ have to walk in on you two."

Hermione laughed, "Right, have a good night, I'll see you later."

"Goodnight," they all said as she went out the portrait hole.

Draco wasn't out there yet so she leaned against the wall to wait for him.

Draco sat on his bed in his dormitory wearing a simple pair of black pants and crisp white button up shirt.

"Just enjoy it, Drake," Blaise advised him, "You don't want to waste your last night with her in a bad mood."

"Yeah, I know," Draco sighed, "I'm just trying to get it out of my head."

"Trust me, mate, it's going to stay there," Blaise said, "Just go have fun."

"Alright, I'm going," Draco said, getting up and walking to the door, "I probably won't be back later."

"Good," Blaise smiled, "See you tomorrow then."

"See you," Draco said as he shut the door behind him.

After about ten minutes of waiting, Hermione started getting impatient; he should have been there by then. She decided to head down to the dungeons to see if Draco was ready or not.

"Where're you going, Draco?" a sudden voice came from the couch as Draco entered the Slytherin common room.

Draco closed his eyes, "Out," he answered as Pansy walked up to him.

"You seem to go out an awful bit, lately," she said, crossing her arms.

"If you must know, I'm going to spend time with Granger," he told her.

"You can't possibly like that filth, Draco," Pansy spat.

Draco bit back a retort, "I have to go," he said.

"No," Pansy said shortly, stepping in his way.

"And what are _you_ going to do to stop me?" he said getting agitated as he tried side-stepping her once more.

"I talked to my father last night."

Draco froze. _Nobody else was supposed to know about the task_, "So?" he said nonchalantly as he stood waiting for her to talk.

"So he may not know what you're up to, but he knows you're up to something," Pansy said.

"Look, just stay out of it," Draco warned.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked stubbornly.

"Because it was none of your business, and it's still not," he told her.

"Draco, is what you're doing for the Dar-"

"Stop!" Draco yelled, "Just be quiet, it's nothing to go parading around about, and I would _appreciate_ it if you would keep your mouth shut."

Pansy stood up taller, "Don't you yell at me, Draco!"

"Look, Pansy, I know things have been different this year, but trust me when I say this is something you should keep quiet. You know nothing," that said, Draco pushed open the portrait guarding the Slytherin common room, closed his eyes and took a deep breath, and climbed out.

When he re-opened his eyes, he came face to face with Hermione.

"Oh," he said, startled, "Hi."

Hermione looked uncertain. She cast a look over Draco's shoulder and saw that Pansy Parkinson was still standing in the common room looking pissed, but somehow satisfied.

"What's... going on?" Hermione said, looking back at Draco.

"Nothing," Draco said quickly, trying to ease her in the other direction.

She turned dazedly, "What were you two talking about?"

"Nothing important, really, why?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"Draco, are you hiding something from me?" she asked, looking hurt.

"No, Hermione," Daco said with guilt, "Of course not."

They walked to the Room of Requirement in silence, each lost in their own thoughts.

When they arrived, they both sat down on the couch.

"You were leaving," Hermione started, "You were leaving, then she said that she'd talked with her father and you stopped. Why? What does it matter if she'd talked to her father? And what are you doing... and for who? Obviously you're not telling Pansy something, and whatever it is, it's _definitely_ a secret to me too!" her thoughts seemed to pour out of her mouth.

"Look, Hermione, it's nothing to worry about. Pansy just likes to mess everything up," Draco said warily.

"Well I don't know, Draco, she seemed pretty serious to me," Hermione retorted.

"What... were you eavesdropping on our entire conversation!" Draco exclaimed.

"_Actually_," Hermione seethed, "_you_ were late so I thought I'd come down and see if you were ready yet! It's not _my_ fault you two happened to be talking quite loudly when I got there!"

Draco bit his tongue, closing his eyes and counting to ten before he said anything, "Hermione," he said in a soft, calm voice, "I'm sorry, I hate to make you worry, Pansy's just jealous and will do anything to get attention. I know it didn't sound good, but please, just trust me. I love you," his eyes never left hers as he spoke to her, as he _lied_ to her. It was depressing just how much of a Malfoy he was, just how much like his father he could be.

Hermione leaned back on the couch, letting out a long breath, "I'm sorry, Draco. I wish I wasn't so quick to jump to conclusions. I trust you, I really do."

Draco nodded, not quite sure what to say, "Okay," he said finally, relieved.

"So you said there was something you wanted to give me?" Hermione said, breaking the awkward silence.

"Oh! Yeah," Draco said, reaching into his pants pocket and pulling out a small, long white box and handing it to Hermione, "Your Christmas present."

"Isn't it a bit early?" she said, smiling.

"No, I don't think so," Draco replied, "Open it."

Hesitating a moment, Hermione's smile broadened, "Oh, all right."

She turned the box around to find the clasp and slowly opened the box.

"Oh my gosh," she breathed.

"Do you like it?" he whispered in her ear.

"It's beautiful, I love it," she told him honestly.

Inside the box lay an emerald and gold necklace chain. The design made it look like a thin, sparkling snake, two diamonds right in the middle.

Draco picked it up and turned it over, "It's been in the family for centuries," Draco told her, showing her the Malfoy Crest that was emblazed on the underside of the necklace.

"And this is for... me?" she said, taking in every detail of the piece.

"All for you," he told her, "I love you, Hermione, and I want you to remember that, no matter what. Promise me you'll wear this every day, and no matter what happens, keep it as a reminder that I do care about you, even if at some point it seems like I don't..." he stopped, realizing that he was rambling, "I love you, and nothing could ever change that, _nothing_."

Hermione looked up into his eyes, he looked worried, "Draco, I love it, this means so much to me," she said in all honesty, not believing that things could ever get any better than this. He took the necklace from her hands and put it on her. She turned to face him, smile shining, leaned in and kissed him lovingly.

"Now I feel like I should have brought your present," she grinned.

"You really didn't have to get me anything," he told her.

"Well I never thought I'd see the day where Draco Malfoy turned down a present," Hermione cocked an eyebrow.

Draco smirked, "Oh, that's real funny, make fun of the spoiled rich boy."

Hermione laughed at him, "Well, _I_ thought it was funny."

Draco pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist, "You're _hilarious_," he said sarcastically.

Hermione kissed him softly, "I know," she grinned, kissing him again, harder this time.

Draco kissed her back with all the passion he had, never wanting to let go. One of his hands came to rest on her cheek while the other moved to the back of her neck, pulling her as close to him as she could get.

Hermione smiled into the kiss, loving the way he made her feel like she was the only thing in the world that mattered at that moment. She pushed him back on the couch, never taking her lips from his. After a few minutes of intense snogging, she pulled away for air. Opening her eyes, she saw he was already looking at her with more emotion than she'd ever seen in his eyes.

One emotion she saw confused her. He almost looked sad. But what would he have to be sad about? It was Christmas vacation and he was lying on the couch with his girlfriend!

"Draco...?" she whispered.

"I love you," he cut her off, his expression the same as before.

"Are you sure you're alright?" she asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he told her, "I just... really want you to know... that I love you." Draco wasn't used to being so open, but he was _scared_. Scared about what was to come and he wanted, no, he _needed_ her to know that he loved her, with everything that was going to happen, he just hoped she remembered that, hoped she realized that what he was doing was not what he wanted to do.

She nodded, uncertain of what to think, "I- I love you too."

Draco pulled her back down to him and kissed her with fervor. She ran her hands through his hair, kissing him back the same way. She didn't know why, but she got the feeling that if either of them ended the kiss, she'd never get to kiss him again.

She moved one hand so a finger was tracing its way down his arm, making him shudder. Draco couldn't seem to pull his hands away from her. He had to be touching her, holding her. He had to know that she wasn't going anywhere yet, that she was still there with him.

They stay there for a long time, neither wanting to move away from the other. Finally they pulled away, both quite out of breath. Draco sat up, bringing Hermione with him. He kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms tighter around her.

"So are you staying with me tonight?" he asked her.

"Mhmm," she answered contentedly.

"Are you tired?" he said, looking down at her as she sat across his lap, arms around his neck and eyes closed.

"Not really," she said with a yawn, "So are you excited for Christmas?"

Draco groaned internally, "Of course," he said in a valid attempt to sound cheerful.

"I just have so much left to do," Hermione said, "I mean I have everyone's present, but I still have to wrap them all."

"It'll be fine, they'll be plenty of time this break," he said dryly.

"I'll have to send my parents' on Christmas Eve with one of the school owls. They've gotten used to the owls by now, they used to be scared of them, but I guess after a few years it just seems normal."

_Her parents_... He didn't even want to think about it. He didn't know them personally, but by the way Hermione talked about them, they seemed like such nice people. What would they do when they found out their little girl was missing? He couldn't even think about it.

"Draco, you really seem out of it lately," Hermione said, noticing the look in his eyes again.

He quickly turned off his emotions, which he'd gotten quite good at over the years, and looked down at her, "I'm alright, really."

"Maybe you're coming down with something," Hermione suggested.

"Maybe. So what are Potter and Weasley up to tonight?" he said, changing the subject.

"Just relaxing I suspect. Ginny's there with them, too."

"Oh Weasley must love that," Draco grinned.

"Oh Harry and Ginny are fine around Ron," Hermione rolled her eyes, "They all said hi, by the way."

Draco nodded, _why had he gotten involved with her friends! Stupid, stupid, stupid!_

They sat and talked a while longer before he noticed Hermione kept yawning.

"Looks like it's about time for bed," he smirked.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Hermione said with another yawn.

"Come on," Draco said, standing up and offering his hands to her, "You're going to fall asleep if we stay on the couch. Oddly enough there happens to be a bed waiting over there for us," he grinned wickedly.

Hermione blushed, taking his hands and getting up with him as they walked over to the bed.

"I believe there are clothes for you on the bed," he whispered in her ear.

She picked up the garment that was sitting there; it was a silk, crimson tank night dress that ended hardly below her butt.

"I can't imagine who picked this out," she rolled her eyes.

"Couldn't tell you," he looked innocently back at her.

"Close your eyes," she sighed.

"What? Are you joking?" Draco said incredulously.

"No I'm not joking, close your eyes, I have to change!" she leered at him.

Shaking his head, he turned around and closed his eyes while she changed.

"Okay, I'm dressed," she finally said.

"Great," he said, pulling off his shirt and pants so he was just left in his boxers, "So am I."

Hermione laughed and got into bed, Draco following close behind. He pulled her into his arms, kissing the top of her head as she yawned again.

"Goodnight," Hermione said, closing her eyes and nuzzling into the crook of his neck.

"Goodnight," he replied, "I love you."

Hermione smiled sleepily, "I love you too."

After a few minutes, he heard her breathing slow and knew she'd fallen asleep. He hugged her closer to him, hoping the morning wouldn't come too soon. He lie there watching her sleep, thinking how much of an angel she looked like, until he felt himself start to slip off into a deep, much welcomed, sleep also.


	30. The Final Part

Chapter 30: The Final Part

Hermione rolled over, snuggling closer to the warm form next to her. She felt two arms tighten around her body and smiled sleepily hoping she wouldn't have to wake up any time soon, because then she would have to move.

Draco felt something move next to him and groggily opened his eyes. When he was met with the sight of Hermione burying her head into his neck, he couldn't help but grin. She looked so peaceful and happy. He held her tighter, hoping he wasn't going to wake her. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head.

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and looked up. Draco had lay his head back down and closed his eyes already. Her smile broadened, he looked happier than he had in a long time, and he definitely looked like he didn't have as much on his mind. She wished he wouldn't be so stressed out all the time, it wasn't good for him.

She pushed herself up and leaned over Draco. Sensing something above him, he opened his eyes and started.

"Merlin, you scared me half to death," he said as he felt himself relax a little.

Hermione laughed, leaning down and kissing him lightly, "I didn't mean to wake you."

"Don't worry about it, I was already awake, I just didn't feel like getting up yet," he told her, rubbing his eyes.

"Then let's not," Hermione suggested, her eyes lighting up mischievously.

Draco sighed, thinking of what the day ahead of him entailed and sat up, pulling Hermione to sit across his lap, "We can't just stay here all day."

"Why not?" Hermione grinned.

"Potter and Weasley would probably kill me, first of all," Draco said, "And we need to keep up our appearances."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "_Fine_," she said.

Draco pulled her into him and gave her a long kiss, "I love you," he said quietly, his eyes still closed as he rested his forehead against hers.

"I love you too," she said as she leaned back in to kiss him again.

As much as Draco hated to break their kiss, he knew they couldn't keep stalling. With a deep sigh, he pulled away, kissing her cheek and leaning back. As he looked into her eyes, he couldn't help but be filled with grief. The knowledge of what was to come was looming over him.

"I love you," he said again.

Hermione's expression became worried, "You really need to stop saying it like that," she said uncertainly.

"I just don't feel like I can say it enough," he told her, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you, come on, let's get up and go see what your friends are up to," he suggested, changing the subject.

Groaning, she finally gave in and crawled over him to hop off the bed. Draco threw his legs over the side and as Hermione started to walk away to put on real clothes, he grabbed her hand and pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

"I thought you said we needed to get ready to leave," Hermione grinned.

"We will... in a minute," he answered.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and leaned down to kiss him. She felt him run his tongue along the outside of her lips and opened her mouth to him. She moaned as she felt his tongue work against hers.

Draco was holding her as tight as he could, he needed to feel her as close to him as possible. He needed these last few moments with her because he knew he wasn't ready to say goodbye. He felt her fingers run down his back. It wasn't a needy touch, but a loving gesture. This was right. This was where he was supposed to be, here with her. Not out with his father, following the _Dark Lord_. He needed to enjoy it while he could, because soon he'd never have this chance again.

After a few minutes, he felt her pull back and slowly opened his eyes to see her bright smile in front of him.

"I think we should probably go, we'll have plenty of time for this later," Hermione grinned, "Besides, Harry and Ron said they'd come looking for me if I wasn't back before lunch."

Draco nodded, pulling her in for one more kiss before he finally let go of her, standing up himself, and they both headed to put on clothes.

About ten minutes later, Draco and Hermione were walking hand-in-hand on their way back to Gryffindor Tower. They reached the portrait to see Harry coming out of it.

"Hey, where're you going?" Hermione said as they walked up to him.

"I guess Dumbledore wants to see me," Harry shrugged, "Good thing you're back though, a few more minutes and we would have gone looking for you," he grinned.

Draco cleared his throat uncertainly, _why would Dumbledore randomly want to talk with Potter!_

"See you in a while then," Hermione said as she dragged Draco behind her into the common room.

Draco hastily waved as he passed Harry, trying to regain his thoughts.

"Hey, I'm gonna run back down to my dormitory for a minute, I'll be back in a few," Draco said as they headed towards the couch.

"Do you need something?" Hermione asked.

"Just going to shower and change and such, I'll be back up in a little while, all right?"

"Okay, sure, I'll see you in a bit then," she smiled, leaning up and giving him a kiss before letting go of his hand to go sit with Ron and Ginny who were, surprisingly, working on homework.

"He knows something's going on!"

Blaise started, rolling over and falling onto the floor, "What the fuck!" he exclaimed.

Blaise had obviously still been sleeping by the time Draco reached the dormitory.

"Dumbledore asked to speak with Potter, he's got to know!" Draco said.

"You're being paranoid, first, and second, why don't _you_ go talk to Dumbledore!" Blaise said grumpily as he crawled back onto his bed.

"Blaise, stop saying that!" Draco said as he started pacing around the room.

"Fine, look, there's nothing you can do about it then, just act like nothing's wrong and I'll be here when you come back to get... well _you know_," Blaise said.

"Alright," Draco said, "I'll just... I'll see you later." Grabbing some clean clothes, Draco headed for the bathroom.

Letting out a deep breath, Blaise got up, "_Fine_," he said quietly to himself as he threw on a set of robes and walked out the door.

Draco knocked on the portrait of the Fat Lady for about a minute before Hermione finally came to answer it.

"Sorry about that, Ginny, Ron and I were just trying to figure out what's up with Harry," Hermione said looking frazzled.

"Really?" Draco said uncertainly.

"Yeah, here come on in," Hermione said moving into the common room.

Draco followed her, closing the door behind him. Inside his mind a war was raging. _What could Dumbledore have said to Potter! What did Potter know now? Was the whole plan ruined? Would it really be that bad if it was...?_ 'Of course it would!" Draco chided himself. Nothing good would happen if the plan was ruined; it would only go downhill from there.

Harry looked up as Hermione and Draco walked over to him. He gave Draco an uncertain smile before he put his head back in his hands.

"Everything... er... alright, Potter?" Draco asked.

Harry sighed, "I just don't get it."

"What?" Draco said about half an octave higher than his usual voice. He could feel his hands start to sweat. This was it: Potter was going to reveal what'd been going on to Hermione and the others. The jig was up.

"What Dumbledore told me, I just don't know what to think."

"What'd he tell you, Harry?" Hermione asked soothingly, sitting down next to him.

"Come on, mate, maybe we can help if you tell us," Ron added.

Ginny reached her hand up and rubbed his back, "You know we want to help you."

Draco stood there awkwardly, trying not to draw attention to himself.

Harry let out a deep breath, "Alright," he said running his hands through his hair, "He asked me how things were going and I told him they'd been going great lately and he gave me that stare where he's trying to figure out if you're telling the truth. Then he sat down and looked at me for a minute before saying _'You should keep an eye on your friends, sometimes things aren't always as they seem.'_ Then he got back up and ushered me to the door saying _'If my instincts are suiting me correctly, I should be expecting another visitor in a few minutes_.' So I took the hint and said good day, and came back here."

Everyone was looking at him intently, and some mildly confused.

_Dumbledore probably thought I would come to see him today, probably thought I'd give up_, Draco thought to himself.

"That's... odd," Ginny said, "But not too horrible I guess?"

"I guess," Harry said, "It just doesn't make sense, I don't know what he was trying to tell me. _Thing aren't always as they seem_... why can't he just come out and tell me what's going on!"

"Maybe it's something he wants you to figure out for yourself," Hermione said, "What do you think, Draco?"

Draco looked around at the others, "I, uh, I don't know. Dumbledore's an odd man, may never know what he was talking about. Maybe you shouldn't let it get to you too much, Potter."

"He just had that look about him, you know... the one where he's really trying to get a point across to you without just telling you what it is," Harry said, shaking his head.

"Why would he wait until now to tell you about... whatever it is?" Ron asked.

"I don't know, especially since it's the first day of break, it just doesn't make sense," Harry said.

"Just take some time to think about it, don't do anything rash," Hermione suggested.

Harry nodded contemplatively, "I guess you're right," he finally said.

"Besides, you won't have any fun over break if you keep thinking about it," Ron told him.

"What do you say we go outside for a bit?" Draco said, trying to lighten the mood.

"I can't, I have to go up to the Ravenclaw common room to work on a project," Ginny said, "But I'll probably meet up with you all around ten or so."

Draco cringed inwardly.

"Alright," Harry said, leaning over and giving her a kiss before she got up to leave, "See you later."

Everyone said goodbye as Ginny gathered her things and headed out the portrait hole.

"Would you guys like to go outside, then?" Draco asked.

Everyone nodded, getting up to grab warm clothes and cloaks before they trudged out into the cold and down to the lake.

Everyone sat down along the bank, "See, now isn't the fresh air relaxing?" Draco said, leaning back against the large boulder behind him as he wrapped his arms around Hermione who was snuggled up close to him for warmth.

Everyone sighed contentedly in agreement.

They stayed there all afternoon chatting, resting, and just enjoying the quiet. As the skies started to darken, Draco felt his chest start to tighten. His time was dwindling down. He knew he had to get back to his dorm to get... well, he knew it was almost time.

"It's getting late," Hermione said, also noticing the darkened skies.

"Yeah, we should probably head in," Harry said as everyone pushed themselves up and made their way back to the castle.

Once inside, Draco pulled Hermione back a little, "I'm going to run to my room to grab some clean clothes, I'll meet you at the Great Hall for dinner."

Hermione nodded, "Okay," she said, giving him a quick kiss before following her friends.

Draco walked slowly down to the dungeons with his hands in his pockets. _This is it,_ he thought to himself, _after dinner it's all over._

He slipped into his dormitory where he saw Blaise sitting on his bed holding a small box, _the_ box; the box that Draco had come for. Looking away, Draco wandered over to his trunk and pulled out some clean, dry clothes. After throwing them on, he reluctantly turned back to Blaise.

"I need that," he said.

Blaise nodded, "I know. I just wanted to give you one more chance to-"

"Blaise, give me the box," Draco said, shaking his head.

Shrugging, Blaise handed over the box, "Do what you have to do," he said quietly.

With one last look at Blaise, Draco shoved the box into his pocket and turned around, heading back towards the Great Hall.

When Draco walked in, he noticed that he, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were the only ones eating at the time because of how late it was. He sat down next to Hermione and started loading his plate with food.

The friends ate a comfortable dinner together, laughing and joking around. When the clock hit eight, they decided to head back up to Gryffindor Tower where they sat down around the fire. Draco knew at this point that he really didn't have much time left, the minutes were ticking down.

Finally, knowing he couldn't wait any longer, he stood up.

"Hey, I have presents for everyone," he said in as cheery a voice as he could muster.

Everyone looked up, "Isn't it a little early to be giving out presents already?" Harry asked.

"Now is good, I think," Draco answered.

Shrugging, they all got up and followed Draco to the couches. Draco pulled the box out of his pocket and opened it up. The contents of the box were what looked like four little puzzle pieces made out of solid gold.

He took them out of the box and handed one to Harry, one to Ron, kept one for himself, and finally... he gave one to Hermione.

"We have to put them together," Draco said.

The others looked around excitedly, wondering what was going to happen. Draco reached his piece out, setting it on the table with his hand still on it. Try as he might, he couldn't keep his hand from shaking. Every voice in his head told him to scream at them not to listen to what he said, but it was too late.

The others followed his lead, fitting their pieces in with his without removing their hands. Hermione was the last one to fit hers, and just before the link was made, Draco looked up, his eyes locking with Hermione's, "I love you," he said, his voice filled his regret.

Before anyone could question him, the last piece connected. Without warning, everyone felt a tug behind their bellybuttons and a feeling as if they were being ripped from reality.


	31. The Dream

Chapter 31: The Dream

Harry slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground, every bone in his body hurt. He slowly lifted his head, letting his eyes come into focus. When he realized the picture his eyes were displaying before him, he shut them tightly and shook his head, knowing that when he opened them again, the scene would change.

He tried again, slowly opening one eye, then the other. Much to his dismay, he was met with the same sight. _No... no_... he thought to himself, _this can't be happening._

He was lying on a cold stone floor. Across the room from him lay Hermione and Ron, both unconscious. His gaze shifted to another corner of the room, the corner cast in shadows, for he knew from his dreams what loomed there. His eyes blazed fire, he had let this happen. He was here right now, his _friends_ were here right now, because he hadn't done anything to stop it. The problem was he didn't even know where he was, he didn't know who stood in the shadows, and he didn't know why they were here, all he knew was that it would be his fault for whatever would happen.

He could hear the people in the shadows conversing in low tones. He tried to push himself off the ground, but found it harder than he anticipated. He just didn't seem to have the strength to move. As he shifted around to try to find a better angle to hoist himself up, the voices in the corner stopped. For what seemed like forever, there was an eerie silence. He turned his head back towards the shadows.

A hollow, sinister laugh then filled the room. The sound pierced the air, sending chills up Harry's back. The sound also seemed to awaken his friends. Ron and Hermione's eyes shot open, they looked scared. From the shadows stepped a tall, pale man in robes of black. From underneath his hood, two red, snake-like eyes stared victoriously at Harry.

"Harry... Potter..." came the raspy voice.

"Voldemort..." Harry whispered to himself as he felt his hands clench into fists, so this was the reason they were here. But how had they gotten here in the first place?

"I'm sure you're just _filled_ with questions," Voldemort said with a smirk.

Harry kept quite as he saw Ron and Hermione shifting to get up in the corner of his eye.

"You can move, you know," Voldemort said, apparently also noticing the movement of the others, "Go join your hero; you'll all meet the same end anyways."

Ron and Hermione made their way to their feet and ran over to Harry, kneeling down next to him in a protective manner.

"So go on, I'm sure you've got questions," Voldemort prompted.

Harry, Ron and Hermione glared at him, he was toying with them. Finally, Hermione spoke up, "How did we get here?"

There was no answer from the Dark Lord, his smile simply broadened.

From the shadows stepped another figure. Long platinum blond hair flowed down his back, over his long black robes.

"Lucius Malfoy," Harry said, "I should have known you had something to do with this."

"Oh, dear boy, I can't possibly take all of the credit for this," he said with a smirk.

Lucius waved his wand around the room, illuminating the torches set up on the walls. The corner that was once set in shadows was now visible to them all. Lying on the ground, as unconscious as they had all been, was Draco.

"What have you done to him!" Hermione exclaimed, her eyes widening.

Lucius smirked as well, "He will be fine, Mudblood, he just needed a little reminder when he got here, I'm sure in due time, he will join us."

"What are we doing here," Ron said, "Why did you bring all of us?"

Voldemort laughed again, "I have tried so many times to capture and defeat T_he Great Harry Potter_, and each time, I have failed. But this time, _oh, this time_, I will not. There is no escape for him now. No one to save him, no accessible portkey to run back to Dumbledore, now he is mine."

"You never answered the question, Master, about why they are all here," Lucius said innocently.

"Ah, of course, I brought you all here for a reason. See, the defeat of Harry Potter would be nothing if he did not suffer first. I will make him suffer for everything he has put me through these last fifteen years. I figure to see his friends in pain, there would be nothing worse for him than to lose the only people he has left."

Harry swore his heart stopped for a second at those words. He was not only responsible for putting his friends in danger, but he would be responsible for their death, if the Dark Lord did as he said he would.

"Why did you bring Draco here?" Hermione asked.

"Silly girl," Lucius shook his head, "I did not force him here."

As they spoke, Draco was starting to stir in the corner.

"Stand up, Potter," Voldemort hissed.

As much as Ron and Hermione tried to restrain him, Harry did as he was requested and moved to his feet. His friends exchanged looks and stood up as well.

"You can have me, but leave my friends out of this," Harry said defiantly.

"Always a Gryffindor, aren't you Potter? Brave and _stupid_," Voldemort replied.

Harry held his gaze, not backing down.

"You're nothing, you know," Voldemort went on, "You're a sixteen year old wizard, your power is nowhere near the likes of mine, and your bravery does nothing but put the people you love in danger."

Harry's look faltered as he listened to the Dark Lord, it was true, there was no way he was strong enough to beat him yet, and he already knew he had put everyone in danger.

Voldemort smirked at this, "I see you're thinking along the same lines, boy."

"No," Hermione said loudly after seeing Harry's reaction, "You may have stronger powers than Harry, but look where they've gotten you, defeated by him when he was a baby and again as a teenager. Your powers mean nothing using them the way you do."

"Shut up you silly girl," Lucius said, "_Crucio_!"

Hermione screamed as she felt the effects of the curse and lie writhing on the ground. She tried to control her voice, but the pain was just too intense.

"Hermione!" exclaimed a new voice.

"Lucius, let her be, I see he's come around," Voldemort directed.

Smiling maliciously, Lucius lifted the curse and walked over to Draco who was leaning against the wall, apparently having sprung to his feet without quite enough strength to do so.

"Ah, hello son, welcome to the party," Lucius said.

"Leave her alone," Draco said through clenched teeth.

"You're not exactly in the position to do the hero act, Draco, after all, it's your fault they're here, isn't it?" Voldemort said.

Draco looked at the others, regret written all over his face.

"What does he mean, Malfoy?" Ron asked, getting up to tend to Hermione.

"I...I'm sorry," Draco said.

"Go ahead, Draco, why don't you tell them the whole story," Lucius prompted.

Draco shook his head, unable to speak.

"No?" Lucius said in disappointment, "_Crucio_!"

Draco restrained himself from screaming, he was too accustomed to this punishment and he didn't think he had enough strength left in him to scream even if he had wanted to. Ever since they had gotten here, he had endured curse after curse, some more inventive, and in turn painful, than others. He had tried to talk his father out of everything before the Dark Lord arrived, but his attempts had brought him nothing but suffering. This punishment was just another to add to the list.

Hermione, Harry and Ron were all screaming at him to stop until finally after a minute, Lucius lifted the curse.

"Would you like to tell them now?" Lucius said.

Draco nodded his head, pulling himself up with help from the wall. Hermione was on her hands and knees, still trying to find strength and Harry and Ron sat on their knees on each side of her.

Draco stood between his father and the Dark Lord and looked at them sadly, "It's my fault you're here," he said slowly.

The three looked confusedly up at him, waiting for an explanation.

"I've been planning it all year," he said, trying to push all emotion from him voice, "My task when I returned to school this year was to gain the trust of all of you so I could bring you here tonight... so I could bring you to The Dark Lord," he could feel his outer shell starting to break as he saw his words settling in.

"So... you... tricked us," Ron said slowly, not believing his ears.

Draco nodded and looked at the floor.

"_How could you_...?" Hermione whispered, her voice revealing everything she was feeling at that moment; hurt, betrayal, awe...

Draco looked back up, his eyes locking with Hermione's, "I'm so sorry," he said, his eyes stinging with tears that could never escape.

"I trusted you..." Hermione said, her voice still in a whisper, "I trusted you with everything, and you've been lying to me the whole time..."

"No, Hermione... Gods, I'm so sorry," he said walking towards her.

"Don't... don't come another step closer to her," Harry said protectively.

Draco stopped, "You don't understand," he said shaking his head, "At the beginning, yes, that's what it was, it was a task, _you_… all of you were a task. I didn't want to get to know you, we hated each other. All in all it didn't seem like that big of a deal. But after I got to know you, especially you, Hermione, I didn't want to do it, I swear... but I had to. I know you probably don't get it, but there was nothing else I could do."

"I loved you," Hermione said, her eyes filling with tears that she fought to keep back. She couldn't show weakness here.

_Loved_... Draco thought, past tense of love... _past tense,_ "Hermione, you've got to believe me, I love you, I love you more than anything, please..." Draco said, his head spinning, _what had he done..._

"Now, now, Draco," Lucius said putting a hand on his son's shoulder to hold him back, "I think you've told them enough."

"We all trusted you, Malfoy," Harry said, finally processing everything that had just happened, "Remember when you told Ron and I about yourself and Hermione? You said you'd never hurt her and look what you've done. You're feeding her to your _master_... do you feel proud now? Is this what you wanted? Congratulations, you've chosen your fate, and I'm truly sorry for the choice you made, not even you deserve a lifetime as a servant to _him_..." Harry nodded in Voldemort's direction, "But I hope you keep this on your conscience for the rest of your life that not only did you seal your fate, but you sealed ours as well... the only people who ever gave you a fair chance, the only people who really tried to get to know you and be your friends."

Draco swallowed hard, every word was true. What Harry said had really struck home.

"You're right," Draco said, "It'll all be my fault, everything that happens to you."

"That's right Draco," Lucius said, smiling at his son, "You've completed your task, you've finally done something to make me truly proud of you."

"You didn't let me finish," Draco said, turning on his father, "If they all die tonight, it'll be my fault... _and I can't live with that_." Draco raised his wand at Lucius, "I don't want you to be proud of me for something I can't live with myself for. All my life I've tried to make you proud of me, I did well in school, I turned out to be quite good looking, I've always followed your instructions, I've done everything I could to make you happy, but you never were. But now, _now _that I've given up everything I've always wanted, _now_ you're proud? I can't side with a man who works like that, father or not." Draco was shaking by the end of his statement and his father looked a cross between shocked and furious.

The smile faded from Lucius's lips as he turned to the Dark Lord.

"I thought you said, Lucius, that you had no doubts in your son's intentions," Voldemort said in disappointment, "Lucky for you no damage has been done since they are all here anyways."

Lucius nodded, "I'm sorry, my lord, I thought he could be trusted."

"I will admit I had high expectations for your son, but after this show... it looks as if he will join his _friends_ in death," Voldemort said smoothly.

"He is not my son," Lucius said looking at Draco in disgust.

Draco turned from his father's stare and looked towards Hermione who was now standing with Harry and Ron. He walked over to her, "Hermione, are you alright?" he asked quietly.

"I can't trust you..." Hermione said in a sad voice, "I can't know that it's not all just another act."

"Face me like a man, and maybe you will die with some pride intact," Lucius said loudly to Draco.

Draco turned around, his look hardening, his father had ruined everything, "I'm not afraid of you, father," he said raising his wand.

"_Victum Funiculus_!" Voldemort said, waiving his wand at Harry, Ron and Hermione, who had backed themselves into a corner to try and figure out what to do. Thick ropes shot out and bound the three of them together, "I think this is something you should see before you meet your own fate."

Draco glanced over at the trio trying to decide whether to free them first or take on his father.

Seeing a weakness, Lucius raised his own wand, "_Crucio_!" he yelled. He watched without an ounce of regret as his son fell to the floor shaking, "This is just the beginning, dear boy."

Draco tried with all of his might to fight off the curse, but he knew his father was too strong in that area for him. Finally Lucius lifted the curse as Draco slowly got to his hands and knees, panting, "_Exuro_!" Lucius said as Draco felt his entire body start to burn from the inside. The pain of this curse was one he had only endured once or twice before and he didn't know how long he could last at this point.

Watching as Draco was hit with curse after curse, Harry, Ron and Hermione worked frantically to loosen the ropes tied around them. Voldemort stood next to Lucius, not helping, just observing and encouraging his Death Eater. Just as the three got the ropes off, they looked up to see that Draco lie beaten in a corner with Lucius standing over him.

"It's time, Lucius," Voldemort said mercilessly.

"This is the path you chose, goodbye, Draco," Lucius said, "Avada K-"

"Expelliarmus!" came a loud, booming voice as a door burst open at the other end of the room.


	32. The Battle

Chapter 32: The Battle

_"It's time, Lucius," Voldemort said mercilessly._

_"This is the path you chose, goodbye Draco," Lucius said, "Avada K-"_

_"Expelliarmus!" came a loud, booming voice as a door burst open at the other end of the room._

The wand Lucius was about the murder his son with flew out of his hand and every head turned towards the intruder.

"_Dumbledore_..." Voldemort hissed.

"Good evening, Tom," Albus Dumbledore said in a calm voice, though his eyes were flashing furiously.

"Come to save the day again?" Voldemort said with a hint of annoyance.

"You underestimate my knowledge, I think, Tom, of what is going on and where my students are when they're supposed to be in their beds," he cast a weary glance at Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"I'm not one for small talk, Dumbledore, your attempts will not work this time!" he said, drawing his wand from his robes.

"Are you going to kill me?" he asked, almost conversationally.

"It is inevitable, you cannot evade me forever."

Dumbledore gave a heavy sigh, "Tom, you put too much faith in life. Because, as I told you just last year-"

"I know, there are things worse than death. You are just too foolish to change your mind, aren't you?"

"Yes, I suppose I am, and one day I'm sure it will be my downfall, but today, Tom, is not that day."

Both of their wands were pointed at each other, Voldemort's threateningly, and Dumbledore's, almost sadly.

Draco crawled quietly out from the wall and over to the others while his father stood, hand still up as if to cast a spell, head turned back to watch the events.

"Are you alright?" he whispered.

Hermione eyed him suspiciously and gave a brief nod. The portkey lie about twenty feet from them.

Draco saw her eying it, "It's no use," he said regretfully, "It was a one way thing."

Hermione looked around the room; there was one door and no windows. Her head flew up as Voldemort fired his first curse at Dumbledore, who quickly blocked it.

"You're fighting a lost cause, Dumbledore," Voldemort said in an agitated voice.

"I don't want to fight at all, Tom." Dumbledore replied.

"There must be some way out of here," Harry said, also looking around.

"There's a door, and I know there's a secret passage hidden _somewhere_, I just don't know where," Draco said, racking his brain.

Lucius had seemed to finally regain his footing as he was currently headed towards his wand.

"_Victum Funiculus!_"Dumbledore said loudly, momentarily pointing his wand at Lucius, never taking his eyes from Voldemort.

Lucius lay struggling on the ground.

"_Petrificus Totalus!_" Draco shouted at Lucius, whose legs and arms snapped together and lay still.

Voldemort now cast a glance in their direction, as if wanting to turn and strike.

"They're not going anywhere, Tom. I'm actually quite surprised you haven't brought more of your Death Eaters to join us tonight."

"Well, thanks to you, most of them are still in Azkaban," Voldemort spat, his eyes re-gluing on Dumbledore.

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Draco watched with bated breath, all not sure what they could do. Voldemort shot another curse at Dumbledore which was, again, deflected.

Hermione gasped as something bumped into her from behind. The grown-ups, however, did not notice, though she could have sworn she saw a twinkle return to Dumbledore's eye.

Draco was also looking around for the source, until a head appeared out of nowhere.

"_Blaise!_" Draco whispered, "But... how..."

"I went to Dumbledore," Blaise answered, "Come on, get under."

Harry now noticed that Blaise had an invisibility cloak, but as he looked closer, he realized that it wasn't just any invisibility cloak, it was _his._

"How did you get that?" he asked.

"Dumbledore got it for me, now quickly, get under here before You-Know-Who turns around!"

They all scrambled under the cloak, hearing a curse hit the wall behind where they knew Dumbledore was standing.

"Is there more to this plan?" Ron asked.

"Dumbledore said this house had a secret passage underneath one of those chairs over there," Blaise said.

"Where does it lead to?" Hermione asked.

"The Forbidden Forrest," Blaise said, "That's how Draco's dad was getting in to meet with him this year."

There was a moment of awkward silence as Draco looked guiltily at the floor.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Voldemort shouted.

_No... _Hermione thought.

"Come now, Tom, you must be more creative than that!" They all breathed again, he had gotten out of the way of that one too.

"It's that wooden chair," Draco whispered, pointing it out.

"Now we have to be really quiet," Hermione said.

"And stay very close together," Ron added.

The five of them, almost unnecessarily due to the amount of noise Dumbledore and Voldemort were causing, crawled quietly over to the chair, knowing that only one person at a time could go.

"You three go first," Draco said.

"As soon as we open this door, he's going to know," Ron said. It was wooden and looked heavy and very creak-y.

"That's why you're going first and I'm going last, don't worry about me, Dumbledore is still here."

"But what about Dumbledore?" Harry said.

"He's more than capable of dealing with You-Know-Who," Blaise answered him, "He told me that my priority was to get you out of here safely, and that's what I'm going to do. Let Potter go first then you two follow, I'll be behind you and Draco will be last."

"Wait," Draco said, grabbing Hermione's hand, "I'm sorry for everything," he told her, "I hope you'll forgive me." He kissed her lightly before letting her go and giving Harry the signal that it was time.

Hermione looked torn, half of her wanted to kiss him again, tell him it was okay, that all she wanted was to be with him. The other half was still hurt that he had gotten them into this, that he had served her up on a silver platter. Thinking of this, she turned from him, and watched as Harry lifted the door.

They had expected a creak, but as soon as it was lifted up, it started screaming. Harry was sure there was some sort of spell that should have been used on it prior to opening it, but it was too late now. It looked like a hole, an endless hole. But knowing it was his only option, he jumped.

The battle had halted around them. Voldemort was aware of their escape! He looked to the spot he had known them to be and found it empty. His eyes flashed as his head turned back to the secret passage entrance. He saw no one and was thoroughly enraged. How had he gotten so wrapped up that he hadn't noticed his prey getting away from him right under his nose?

Ron jumped next. Hermione stole a quick glance back at Draco who said, "Go! Just go!" She tore her eyes from his and jumped, hoping she'd see him again. As soon as she jumped she heard a scream.

Voldemort had shot a curse towards the door and hit someone. Someone jumped in after her, but she had no time to figure out who it was. She was falling at an unusual speed on something that may have seemed like a completely vertical slide. All of a sudden the slide ended and she did a flip. Her feet landed roughly on the hard earth. Next to her stood Harry and Ron, who pulled her out of the way just in time for Blaise to appear in the same spot. As Hermione went to grab for him to move him to make room for Draco, he shook his head.

"No need," he said, "Draco got hit with a stunning spell and You-Know-Who sealed the secret passage."

"What?" cried Hermione.

"He's with Dumbledore," Harry told her, "I'm sure he'll be okay."

She bit her lip, looking at the spot he should be appearing in.

"Come on, let's get up to the school," Blaise said, "It's no use waiting around here."

They all nodded, slowly trudging back up through the grounds to the school.

As they pushed the doors open and walked into the entrance way, they were met by Professor Snape.

"Care to explain why you were all out for a stroll when it is clearly past curfew?" he said dryly, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm sorry, _sir_," Harry bit, "I didn't mean for Lord Voldemort to keep us so long."

Snape's expression changed, Harry couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Go to bed, all of you," Snape said as he turned on his heel and walked briskly away.

"Why don't you come stay in Gryffindor Tower until we know what's going on?" Ron offered to Blaise.

"I guess so," he said, turning to follow them up the stairs.

Harry had remained stationary, "No," he said, "We're going to wait in Dumbledore's office."

"We need a password to get in there," Blaise said.

"I know it," Harry told him.

They made their way to the stone gargoyle quietly, all immersed in their own thoughts.

"Canary Creams," Harry said.

The Gargoyle jumped aside and they took the spiral staircase to the Headmaster's office.

Oddly enough, there seemed to be enough chairs waiting for them. They each took a seat and waited.

It felt like hours they sat there, worried for Draco, worried for Dumbledore, and hoping Voldemort wouldn't win.

Finally, in a burst of flame, Dumbledore appeared with Fawkes in one hand and Draco, eyes closed and head drooping, in the other.


	33. A New Start

Chapter 33: A New Start

"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping out of her chair.

"I'm sorry, Ms. Granger, but you're going to have to wait," Dumbledore told her. He looked tired. Taking out his wand, he conjured up a bed and lay Draco on it.

"But what happened, is he-"

Dumbledore held up his hand and Hermione stopped talking, "He will be fine. He took a nasty curse and hit his head on the floor, rendering him, as you see, unconscious."

Hermione slouched back down into the chair and covered her face with her hands.

"Professor," Harry started, "what happened?"

"Well you see, I was just getting ready to tuck into a midnight snack when I heard a knock on my door-"

"I don't want to sound rude, but I meant with Voldemort, Professor," Harry said cautiously.

Dumbledore nodded, "I understand that, Harry, but it is best to start at the beginning. So, I heard a knock on my door, and to my shock, it was Mr. Zabini. He didn't seem eager to tell me right away what was going on, but I was confident that he had already made up his mind to tell me eventually," Dumbledore walked around to his desk and sat down, "I waited patiently, answering his questions, such as had Mr. Malfoy came to me lately, was I aware of anything unusual going on at the present moment, or did I know where the- how did he put it- _Golden Trio_ currently was.

"Now these were not exactly reassuring questions because even though he was the one asking questions I had already learned that Mr. Malfoy was aware of something that involved Harry, Ron and Hermione not being in my school," his eyes glanced around at everyone.

"This thought was not exactly _settling_ to me, but I waited. Finally, Mr. Zabini told me all about Draco's task, Draco's doubts, and ultimately, Draco's decision. As much as I wish Draco could have chosen to come to me first, he did not. So we set off as soon as we could. We did not know exactly where the secret passage came out, so we had to resort to guessing as to where you were."

"But professor," Harry interrupted, "How did you find us so quickly? We could have been anywhere."

"You do not know Tom as I do, Harry, there are only so many places he would have trusted to use, and I happen to know most of them. We first tried the old orphanage where Tom had grown up, but it was not there. We then went to the cave where he harassed those two poor children he used to live with at the orphanage, and you also, were not there. Finally, I decided to try the little house where Tom's mother used to live."

"Is that where we were?" Ron asked.

"Alas, it was," Dumbledore nodded.

"Where is Voldemort now?" Harry asked.

"He has fled again," Dumbledore said with a heavy sigh, "Professor Snape showed up and I think he decided that he could not take on myself and Snape at the same time. His next attempt, I expect, will involve many more Death Eaters."

Harry and Ron looked at each other at the mention of Snape.

"Yes, as much as you may not want to acknowledge it, Professor Snape is, and always will be, on the right side, Mr. Potter," Dumbledore's eye twinkled as he smiled at the boys' shock.

"What about Lucius?" Blaise said.

"Unfortunately his master grabbed him as he disapparated and so I suspect they are still trying to figure out how to get those ropes off," Dumbledore gave a half smile, "It was a rather ingenious invention of mine."

"Draco!" Hermione exclaimed, jumping up and running to the side of his bed.

Everyone looked over, Draco had started to stir, his eyes still unfocused, but open.

"Draco? Draco, are you okay?" Hermione said, grabbing his hand.

Draco flinched and pulled his hand away, "Don't... deserve..." he mumbled.

"Draco, look at me," she said.

He shook his head, closing his eyes again.

Hermione looked around at the others; they were all still sitting silently.

"Could... you... I just need..." she said awkwardly.

"I think it might be best if we left Ms. Granger alone with Mr. Malfoy for a moment," Dumbledore said, "We can continue this conversation later."

With that, they all got up and, casting one last glance at the two, they made their way out of Dumbledore's office.

As the door shut, Hermione pulled a chair over to Draco's bed and sat down, "Please look at me."

"I don't deserve to," he said in a raspy voice.

"Please..." Hermione could already feel tears beginning to sting her eyes.

Slowly, Draco turned his head toward her, his eyes still shut tight.

"Open your eyes, please Draco, we _need_ to talk."

Draco shook his head, "I don't want to see the pain I've caused you."

Hermione took a deep breath, "I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm alright, because I'm not, but the longer you prolong this, the worse off we'll be," she said in a voice stronger than how she felt.

After a long moment, Draco finally opened his eyes to look at her. First he scanned her body for bruises, for which he saw a fair few. His gaze made its way up to her dirt-covered, tear-stained face, and finally, his eyes locked with hers.

"I'm sorry..." he said weakly.

"I'm sorry too," Hermione said, "I'm sorry for you."

"I just... didn't think I had any other choices."

"You thought that your best choice was to give Harry, Ron and I up to Voldemort?" Hermione said incredulously.

He turned his head from hers again, shutting his eyes tight.

"No, look at me, you owe me that much."

Reluctantly, he turned back to her, his regret showing clearly on his face.

"You're going to have to be more specific, Draco, we've been together for most of this year, and I was under the impression that we had a better relationship than trying to kill each other, which, if I'm not mistaken, would have happened if Dumbledore hadn't came."

"But... I stood up for you... there... my father almost killed _me_ because I stood up for you..." he said, grasping for anything he could use.

"No, you can't use that line; you can't tell me you were trying to help me, if you had really tried to help me you wouldn't have brought me there. You would have done something, _anything_ to not have to bring me there. I love you, Draco, but how do you ever expect me to trust you again?" she said, wiping her tears off of her face.

"I want everything to go away," Draco said, "I want to go back and take this all away."

"You can't," Hermione told him, "Don't you get it? You made your decision already, _you did this_!"

"I know that," Draco said, angry at himself, "And I know I can't change it now... I just thought I'd be getting everyone into more trouble if I tried to go to Dumbledore."

"No, you thought you'd get _yourself_ into more trouble if you went to Dumbledore."

There was silence as Draco opened his mouth before shutting it dejectedly.

"No, keep talking," Hermione said, "You've got a lot to explain."

Draco nodded, trying to choose his words carefully, "Okay..."

Hermione sat back and looked at him patiently.

"You know, you've always been this annoying, buck-toothed, know-it-all."

Hermione raised her eyebrows.

"Don't look at me like that, if you want me to talk then let me talk."

Her expression didn't soften, but she didn't say anything either.

"We've never gotten along... _ever_. All my life I've lived with the knowledge that I had been destined to be one of them... a Death Eater. I've always tried to find ways around it... but you don't know Lucius. It's been hard being his son. I always had to live up to his standards. And I know you think it's ridiculous that I would even want to... but he's my _father_... no matter how awful he is, he's blood... he raised me. So as I grew up I just learned to accept that it was my fate.

"At the beginning of the year when he told me about my task, it wasn't a big surprise, I always knew that there would be some big initiation for me, something seemingly impossible, and here it was. I was supposed to get _you_... a Gryffindor, best friend of the one and only Harry Potter... to like me, to trust me, to fall in love with me. That thought seemed laughable at best! But there was no saying no to him; it just doesn't work that way.

"So I came to school. After having to think about it for a while, it actually seemed like it might be fun, to at least make you so uncomfortable that it would be a nice chuckle for Blaise and I. Even at the beginning Blaise wasn't too excited about it, I mean, he would laugh and come up with stupid plans with me, but he's never been much of a big supporter of the Dark Lord. He kept telling me something was going to go wrong, but why would I listen to him? He didn't even know what he was talking about.

"And then I started spending time with you, like... _real_ time. It was all part of the plan, I mean I'm a cunning, good-looking man; of course you were falling for me. I would plan out what we would do and what I would say to you that day to move things along one step at a time, almost like it was real. And then one day... I stopped going over these plans with Blaise, I would just think to myself about what I _wanted_ to do with you that day, what I _wanted _to say to you.

"Blaise suspected it from the start. He could see me falling for you, but I wouldn't admit it, how could I? I would meet with my father every once in a while and he would rate my progress and tell me what I still needed to do. He started to suspect me too. I tried my hardest to not care, or at least to be able to not care around him, but it was getting hard. I even suggested one day that we not use you; that we find a different way, I tried to tell him that you could never fall for me and the whole plan was just ridiculous to start with.

"He wouldn't hear it, he saw right through me. I don't think I've ever had such a horrible, painful, humiliating beating as that one. He did it to make me see that this was the only way and that there would be no other plan. It would be stupid to say that I wasn't scared- I was. That's why my mind was set that I had to see this plan through, what was a little crush?

"Well it wasn't a little crush. I fell in love with you, Hermione. I didn't want to, I never planned to, it just happened. You're the most amazing person I've ever met, and I hadn't expected that. But I didn't think there was anything I could do to save you, or to save myself. When you're that far in… it's hard to see a way out. So even with my best judgment, I did the thing that hurt you, and me, the most... I gave up. I gave _you_ up. I'll never regret anything more than I regret this. I can't even tell you how lucky I am that Blaise is a better person than I. I realized too late the repercussions of what was happening. As soon as I saw you lying there on the floor and I saw my father standing there cursing you... I realized to the full extent what I had done.

"And then when my father was punishing me, I wanted to die... right there when my father had the chance to do it, I hoped he would. I didn't want to live to see what would happen, to see you hurt, and to know that it was my fault. It would have been all too easy if he had just killed me. But then Dumbledore came in, and thank the gods he did, because I would rather see you alive and have to live with myself for everything I've done than to just die knowing that I killed you, too.

"You know, even as I'm sitting here telling you everything, I can't stop thinking about how happy I am that you're alive. I don't deserve you to love me. I don't deserve you to be sitting next to me right now. If you tell me you never want to see me again, I'll understand, it might even make it easier that way, so I'll never have to see the pain I've caused you," Draco shut his eyes again, he was sure that during his speech there had been a few tears that had leaked out, but he could feel every other drop he had pushing to get out at that moment.

"You're right. I have every reason in the world to tell you that I never want to lay eyes on your deceitful, pathetic face again," Hermione said, "But that would be too easy. If you tell me that the person I fell in love with was really you, if that guy wasn't all part of the plan, then I don't want to tell you to leave."

Draco looked back at her, "No, don't you get it? I don't deserve you."

"Was it really you I fell in love with?" she asked.

"Yes, it was me... every day it was me."

"Then we can fix this."

"It's just... too hard. I've done too much damage to fix," Draco said, his eyes reddening.

"So you're just going to give up again? Just because it's going to be hard, you don't want to try? Maybe you never did love me..." Hermione got up and started walking towards the door.

Draco knew he had two choices: let Hermione go and hope that she finds someone else, or call her back and tell her that they could make it through this. He opened his mouth but no words came out.

Hermione reached the door and turned back towards him, "I guess this is goodbye, then." She turned her back once more and walked through the door.

After a moment's hesitation, Draco sat up. He felt dizzy, but he knew what he had to do. He stumbled all the way over to the door and down the spiral staircase. He grabbed the wall as he managed to make his way out of the opening and looked around. Almost at the end of the hall was Hermione.

"Wait," he said.

She stopped but did not turn around.

He walked to her slowly, his head was pounding and every bone in his body hurt.

"We can make this right," he said quietly, "I know we can because I'll never be able to live with myself if I let you go."

Hermione turned to face him; tears were openly streaming down her face, "It's not going to be easy. You've ruined everything we had in one night. It's going to take a lot to be able to trust you again."

"But you will, I promise you will. I'll do everything I can to make sure of that. I'm sorry for everything, please, if you believe me on anything, believe me on this," Draco said, taking her hands in his.

Hermione pulled her hand back, "I do believe you, or at least I want to believe you. It's not going to be easy though, and you have to understand that. Please don't let me down again," she said.

Draco leaned in slowly and kissed her, "I swear to you I won't. I will do everything in my power for the rest of my life to prove myself to you. I love you."

"I love you too, Draco," Hermione said quietly, a sad smile on her face.

Draco let out a long breath and nodded. They walked off down the hall together to rejoin everyone else. He didn't know how everything would turn out in the end, but he knew that right now, he was exactly where he should be and knew that he would never give up because he couldn't. She was the only thing that had ever made him truly happy and he vowed to himself to make things right if it took every ounce of energy he had. She really was his angel and through her he had found himself.

_**The End**_

Thanks so much to everyone for reading, please review and let me know what you thought :]


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